Your Story Isn't Over (All MightXOCToshinori YagiXOC)
by TaehaNatsuki
Summary: Kaera Tsukibara did not have much faith in heroes. I mean why would she? She lost her husband and daughter to a vigilante attack in the United States four years ago. After being blamed for the attack by her in laws, she changed her name and moved to Japan in hopes of starting a new life. Will the no. 1 hero be able to convince her that her story hasn't ended?
1. Prologue: Memories

_"How did I end up here?"_

_"Why them? They were innocent?"_

_"Where were the heroes?"_

_"Why am I the only one left alive? Why... WHY... why...?"_

The thoughts were invasive as Rose Chandrudu stared at the scene in front of her. There were no words for the pain that she was experiencing, but no one could tell from the look on her face. She didn't look to be in pain. No, she looked dead, as dead as the two laying in the casket in front of her. You see, in front of Rose lay her husband, Santosh Chandrudu age 27, and 2 year old daughter, Isha. They had been involved in an attack where a hero had gone vigilante and had caused the deaths of the two most precious people in her life.

Rose stood alone in a crowded room as people walked up and paid their respects to the two deceased. Most people expected Rose to be the typical grieving wife and mother, holding onto the two in front of her eventually having to be pried away, a sobbing mess for the world to see; however, Rose, despite being a very emotional 22 year old woman, had always been one to handle grief by herself. Very rarely did she ever cry at funerals in front of people, not even when her mother or younger brother had died had she shed many tears in front of others.

No, Rose stood on the front row, alone, where she could still see the bodies of the two people who had been her whole world, and nodded politely as people tried to comfort her. Her inlaws, being her two older brother in-laws, two older sister in-laws, and her mother in law, stood next to the casket bawling there eyes out over their loss. There was no comfort in these situations, not in words at least. Her favorite people were the ones that did not try and comfort her with empty words or promises of everything being okay. Instead, her favorite people were the ones that would nod in condolences or the ones that knew her well enough to give her a hug or taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

This did not mean that Rose was feeling nothing at this time. Quite the opposite. Rose fought the urge to try and shake the two bodies begging her two loved ones to wake up and quit sleeping so hard that they could go home; however, she knew from experience that was of no use. She didn't feel she had the right to feel all of this. Her in laws had made it clear that it was her fault that this had happened, and she didn't disagree. But she didn't have to time to think of that. The preacher leading the service had just finished the closing prayer and was beginning to close the casket.

_"Don't do that! They won't be able to breathe! You'll suffocate them!"_ Rose screamed internally, temporarily losing her grip on reality. The slam of the casket shutting quickly bringing her back. _"That's right... They don't need to breathe anymore. They're gone. Dead. Not asleep. They aren't going to wake up. Just like mom, and Dallas,"_ Rose chastised herself silently as a sigh escaped her lips.

_"Goodbye, my loves. Say hi to mom and Dallas for me,"_ Rose prayed silently as she left the funeral looking up at the gray and gloomy sky. Water droplets flowed down her face, and she was silently thankful for the tears flowing from the sky itself as they assisted in hiding the few, warm tears that fell from her deep, emerald green eyes as she walked away. Saying goodbye to her life as she knew it as she forced one foot in front of the other. She would do as she had always done throughout the struggles of her life. No matter what. She would simply keep going, even if she didn't know where she would end up.

Song: Memories by Maroon 5

**A/N:**

**Hi everyone! I know this prologue is super depressing, and honestly, a lot of this is based off the life of a friend of mine who is assisting me in trying to capture the emotions of those who have lost someone precious to them. But I promise the story gets happier. Thanks for reading so far!**


	2. Ch 1: Life Goes On

It's been 4 years since the death of Santosh and Isha Chandrudu, and 3.5 years since the disappearance of Rose Chandrudu, aka me. Many suspected that the guilt led me to run away and commit suicide. Others speculated that the military had forced me into hiding for having a quirk, which was unheard of in the U.S. Quirks were almost unheard of the country until mine had manifested. It was a terrifying notion for American society, especially the government.

Little did many people know, Rose Chandrudu no longer existed, at least not by that name. See, with the emergence of my quirk and the loss of the two most precious people in my life, I had immigrated to Japan, a country where quirks were much more readily accepted and understood. During that process, I had legally changed her name to Kaera Tsukibara. Tsuki meaning moon, which was the same meaning as my previous last name. Kaera meaning yellow rose.

Once reaching Japan, I had begun working on two master's degrees simultaneously, one in teaching, and one in nutrition and medicine. They were an odd pair of degrees, but I had my reasons. I managed to finish both degrees in three years and had been offered a job in Musutafu, teaching English at a junior high there. So that was how I found myself moving my meager belongings into a modest, one bedroom apartment in the city.

It was about 7:30am as I moved the boxes into the apartment as many as I could at a time, which wasn't much. I had always struggled with my health and fitness. My late husband had always given me a hard time about my unhealthy eating and activity habits, which played a big factor into my studying nutrition and medicine for my masters after his passing. I had gotten better on the eating front, but my physical strength still left much to be desired. I sighed as I placed down the two boxes I had in her arms and walked back outside and crouched down to grab more boxes when my thoughts were interrupted by a low and kind voice.

"Excuse me. Do you need any help?" the voice asked. I lifted my emerald eyes to see the source of the voice. It was a tall and gaunt man wearing a baggy white shirt and baggy army green pants. His shaggy blonde hair had two bangs framing his face and small, piercing blue eyes looked at her with a kindness in them. I smiled politely and shook my head, my curly strawberry blonde hair that reached my mid-back, swaying slightly as I did so. Luckily none of it got in my face as I had put the top half in a bun in order to keep my hair out of my face while moving.

"No thank you, sir. I'll be fine. No need to trouble yourself," I responded kindly. _"Plus, you honestly don't look like you're in any condition to help me lift these last couple of boxes. After all, they are full of my books and office supplies,"_ I silently added to myself.

"It's honestly no problem at all! I'd really like to help a new neighbor! Also, I'm stronger than I look," the man insisted with a large smile on his face. _"What is this guy, a mind reader?"_ I thought sarcastically but maintained my outward smile.

"Okay. But be careful. The rest of the boxes are primarily books and office supplies," I warned as she looked to the two stacks of large boxes that remained, both containing about 4-5 boxes per stack. The man nodded in understanding before going over and picking up 3 of the very heavy boxes seemingly with ease. My eyes widened in shock before opening the door for him.

"Thank you! Now where would you like me to put these?" the man asked with a smile as he walked into the apartment. I was almost speechless but quickly snapped out of it.

"Um... These need to go in my bedroom. It's in the back," I answered as I quickly walked down the hall and opened that door as well. The blonde man gently bent down and put the boxes on the floor before continuing to do so with the other boxes as well, getting it done in literally a fourth of the time it would have taken me to do it. After the last boxes were brought in, I looked at the man, trying to think of a way to thank him.

"Thank you, Mr..." I realized she had never gotten the man's name.

"Ah! My bad. How rude of me. My name is Yagi Toshinori, and I believe I never got your name as well," the blonde man responded, introducing himself with his last name first as was customary here in Japan. I bowed in greeting.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Tsukibara Kaera. Thank you so much Yagi-san for all of your help. I would not have been able to have gotten that done so easily on my own. Is there anything I can do to repay your kindness?" I inquired, clearly grateful for his help. I had not made any close friends since coming to Japan, choosing to keep to myself in order to avoid getting close to anyone and getting hurt. I had lost enough people to know that it was dangerous to get too attached to anyone.

"No need to thank me, Tsukibara-san. Though I must admit, your name surprised me. You don't look Japanese," Yagi acknowledged. I shrugged.

"Neither do you, Yagi-san," I countered causing Yagi to chuckle. It was a nice sound, almost melodious.

"Touche, but I don't have an obvious American accent either," Yagi replied with a kind smile. I blanched visibly at this. I really didn't like to talk about where I was from, and Yagi took notice of this.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject. I won't bring it up again," Yagi fretted before returning his smile to his face, "How about as thanks for helping you move, you let me show you around Musutafu? You're new here right?" I looked at him cautiously, trying to figure out how that would work as thanking him by having him do more work.

"That would just be more work for you, Yagi-san," I stated bluntly, my face seeming somewhat dissatisfied with his answer. Yagi seemed to ponder that for a minute before hitting his fist into his hand as if he had figured something out.

"Technically, yes, but you see, I haven't had company that could visit different places in the city with me in quite some time, so it would benefit me as well," he explained, obviously proud of his explanation. I rolled her eyes but nodded.

"Fine. But I start work on Monday at a junior high near here, so it will have to be tomorrow because I need Sunday to prepare," I finally agreed, "And it can't be today because I need to unpack." Yagi nodded enthusiastically, seemingly undeterred by my somewhat strict way of thinking of my schedule.

"Okay. How does tomorrow around 7:30am work? I know a really good breakfast diner that no tourists ever find?" Yagi suggested. I nodded in agreement before we said our goodbyes and I returned to my apartment which was now full of boxes waiting to be unpacked.

_"Well, Yagi-san didn't seem too bad. At least I'm not living next to some hero or something. He didn't even ask if I had a quirk, which is nice. I just hope tomorrow is not too troublesome. I really need to focus on the job I'm starting on Monday,"_ I thought to myself as I began to unpack my items so that I could rest before tomorrow's planned adventure.

**A/N:**

**Please favorite and comment! It means so much to me and better motivates me to write more! Thank you all! :)**


	3. Ch 2: Rough Start

_"It's the ten dual commandments!"_

I internally groaned as I grabbed my phone and turned off the alarm before checking the time. 7AM. Greeeaaaatttttt... With that thought, I quickly rolled out of bed and trudged into the bathroom to take a quick shower, turning the water as hot as it would go. Sure, my pale skin would be scorched, but at least it did the trick in waking me up.

After a quick 15 minute shower, I got out and blowdried my hair straight, causing it to reach my mid-back. I ran a straightener over my side-swept bangs and a couple of stubbornly wavy sections of hair. Right as I finished turning of the straightener and putting it away, there was a knock at the door. I sighed to myself as I quickly put on an emerald green long-sleeved button up shirt with a black tanktop under it and rolled up the sleeves till they were halfway to my elbows. I paired the shirt with some distressed darkwash skinny jeans and quickly put in my contacts. There was another knock on the door, and I quickly ran to the front door, grabbing my crossbody black messenger-bag style purse and keys.

"Shit!" I cursed under my breath in English as I realized I didn't have my phone. Running back to my room, I hurriedly snatched my phone and anti-depressant off the night stand before running back to the door, popping the pill and swallowing it dry as I pulled on my black high top converse.

Finally, out of breath from rushing through my morning routine, I pulled open my door to see my neighbor with a worried expression which quickly morphed to a 100 Watt smile that took me back a bit. Looking down at my phone, I mentally cursed as I realized that the time read 7:45AM. Being punctual was one thing that I greatly prided myself in, and I hated being late.

"Gomen nasai, Yagi-san," I apologized, trying to calm my breathing down to normal, a guilty look spread across my face.

"Daijobu! Daijobu!" The blonde assured, his radiant smile not wavering a bit, "Shall we go?" I nodded with a small smile as I exited my apartment, locking the door behind me. Yagi-san had waited patiently for me and turned to go keeping his pace slow until I caught up with him.

"So where exactly are we going, Yagi-san?" I inquired softly as I fell into step beside him. He turned to me with a kind, close-mouthed smile.

"Well, for breakfast, we are going to the diner I mentioned. After that, I was wondering if there's anything in particular that you want to see or need help finding?" he responded sincerely. His kindness took me slightly aback. Where the hell do people like him come from?

"I need to find Orideri Junior High, the nearest grocery store, and the Indian grocery store near here. I saw online that there is one, but my sense of direction is terrible," I said, slightly muttering the part about my sense of direction. I heard the chuckle beside me and turned to see Yagi-san with an amused smile on his face.

"That's no problem at all! I'll show you where the Junior High is and a couple of other stops on the way back before showing you the two grocery stores. That way you don't have to carry groceries longer than necessary," Yagi-san decided with way too much enthusiasm in my opinion. I scoffed under my breath.

"I don't see how you doing this counts as me thanking you for helping me yesterday," I muttered in English, not really expecting him to understand but still wanting to vent my frustrations. Now, I just felt like I owed him more. Kindness was not something I expected after the incident nearly 4 years ago, especially not so much kindness and from a man who was essentially a stranger no less. To my surprise, he responded in perfect English with no accident whatsoever.

"Well, Ms. Tsukibara! It is because as I said yesterday that I don't often get to walk around the city with someone else! Especially not a beautiful woman as yourself!" Yagi-san responded cheerfully. Turning to him, I glared at the compliment.

"What game are you trying to play here?" I interrogated, set off by the compliment. I'm sure the hostility was palpable as the usual smile on Yagi-san's face disintegrated temporarily.

"Sorry, Tsukibara-san. I seem to have made you uncomfortable. I assure you that is the exact opposite of what I was trying to do. You just seemed a little down and tense," he answered quickly, his smile returning with little delay, "You're in the city of heroes! This should be a place where you can smile and enjoy life!"

"Heroes are useless," I stated bluntly, my kind meek facade quickly fading, "Yagi-san, I think I will just find everything by myself. Thank you for your help, but I prefer to be alone. Sorry for the inconvenience." With that, I walked off in the opposite direction with absolutely no clue where I was going except that I was going away from him.

Toshinori POV-

I was about to run after her, but decided against it, realizing it would probably make things worse. Tsukibara Kaera. I'm not sure exactly what was drawing me to her. I mean yes she was beautiful. Her green eyes were the color of emeralds and her strawberry blonde hair matched her porcelain skin perfectly. She dressed in a way that seemed very put together and classy, but none of that is what drew me to her.

Her eyes drew me in. Not the color, but the pain that was obviously in them. She clearly was struggling. Maybe I thought she needed a hero, and since she was living right next to the No. 1 hero, who else would be better? But after that last comment, it was clear that she was not a fan of heroes. What had happened to her? With a sigh, I walked off to the diner I had planned to take her to, feeling really in the mood for the food there.

A couple of hours later, after walking around the city, enjoying the peace that seemed to be over the place for once, my thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash followed by screams. Villains. My hero instincts kicked in, and I quickly ducked back into an empty alleyway, changing into my hero form and flying to the sound of the crash. There were already several police cars surrounding the bank that had apparently been broken into.

"Have no fear! I am here!" I yelled heroically as I prepared to launch myself at the villains when one of the officers stopped me.

"All Might, sir! Please be careful! They have a hostage!" the officer informed me. Keeping my signature smile on my face, I gritted my teeth as I looked to where the officer was motioning to. It took all of my strength to keep my smile in place as I saw a familiar pair of emerald green eyes looking at me in terror with a gun pressed to her head. Tsukibara Kaera!

The gunman seemed to be shaking when he saw me which only increased my concern. Nervous villains with guns and hostages are much less likely to think twice about shooting. Observing the situation, I noticed that the other criminals had already been apprehended. The man with the gun was looking around nervously when the most amazing thing happened.

**A/N- CLIFFHANGER! Haha! Sorry, but I really wanted to stop it here. Also, I know the first chapter was written in 3rd person and this chapter switched to first person. After struggling with capturing the sincerity of the characters in 3rd person, I decided to make the switch. I will be changing the first chapter to 1st person soon. There won't be any major changes to the story. Just the POV.**

**Also, please vote and comment! It means a lot to me! :)**


	4. Ch 3: Quirks and Secrets

**A/N- From now on, bold, italicized text in the actual chapter denotes a foreign language. It will primarily be English, but at least one other language will make an appearance later. Also, I'm going to try and update regularly, but I just flew across country last minute with my 10 month old daughter to help my sister-in-law with her newborn and will be here for close to a month. That being said, I have a notebook that I'm using to write this story, so I will be continuing to work on it, even if I don't get to update often.**

The sensation of the barrel of a gun pressed flush against my right temple burned my skin and simultaneously sent chills down my spine. "How did I get here?" you may ask. The answer is honestly nothing special. It's just the age old story of wrong place, wrong time.

I had decided to go ahead and open a Japan-based bank account (finally) since I would actually have a regular paycheck coming in. Right as I was leaving the bank, the robbery started, and I along with many others inside the bank was taken hostage. Once the police arrived, the criminals shot two warning shots, which is why the barrel of the gun currently pressed against my head is still hot. After all but 1 of the criminals was apprehended by the police, the hostages began escaping, but the final criminal grabbed me and that brings us to where we are now.

There were shouts of excitement, and I looked over to the police and locked eyes with a literal giant. His eyes were primarily shadowed, but I was able to lock eyes with two striking light blue eyes that seemed almost familiar. Either way, the man I locked eyes with was easily 7ft tall and was just a generally huge and muscular individual which was further emphasized by his skin tight red, white, blue, and yellow hero suit. He had shiny golden blonde hair with two bangs that stood straight up in the air. I felt myself roll my eyes despite my situation.

Oh great. A hero. I'd heard of this man: All Might. I'd lived in Japan for a while now, and this man was EVERYWHERE in terms of fans and merchandise. Despite his popularity, there is one thing to know about me. I do NOT trust heroes, and I was not about to be saved by one. Taking a deep breath, I did something I swore I would never do again: I activated my quirk.

I screamed in pain as wings made of white fire shot out from my back as my eyes turned pure white and a white blazing staff appeared in my right hand. I could hear the sound of my skin on my right palm sizzling as I gripped the staff, hissing in pain before quickly shoving my staff into the ribs of the criminal behind me.

The criminal yelped in pain as he released me. Several gun shots were heard followed by a burning pain in my left shoulder, right hip, and right foot. The pain and blood loss caused my quirk to deactivate. As a result, I found myself collapsing. I squeezed my eyes shut in preparation for the impact with the ground that never came.

"Have no fear for I AM HERE!" I heard a baritone voice boom and involuntarily flinched. Loud noises have always freaked me out. All Might seemed to notice and lowered his volume as he continued speaking to me.

"Excuse me, Miss! I'm going to take you to the hospital, and the doctors there will take great care of you," he explained, his trademark smile never leaving his face. Fear gripped my heart as I grabbed his costume with my blistered right hand and whimpered.

"_**No hospitals... Please...**_" I begged in English, my voice barely a whisper as my vision faded to black.

-TOSHINORI POV-

The fear and pain in her voice caused my smile to falter slightly. She had passed out, and her porcelain skin was beginning to look lifeless. This woman needed medical attention and fast, but she was clearly terrified of hospitals.

A split second decision had to be made, so I held her close to me and flew to U.A. to Recovery Girl's office. Meanwhile, Tsukibara-san's blood was soaking into my costume.

"What has happened to this woman, Toshinori? Why didn't you take her to the hospital?" Recovery Girl asked angrily as I carefully laid Tsukibara-san on the treatment table.

"You know what. You can explain later. This woman is on borrowed time as it is. Now, get out! I have to operate, and quickly!" Recovery Girl ordered, shoving me out the door, leaving me to my thoughts and worries about the emerald eyed woman fighting for her life.

~Time Skip brought to you by Musutafu's crappy luck in general~

Four hours later, I'm pacing, still in my hero form, outside of Recovery Girl's office, waiting for any word on my strawberry blonde neighbor. Finally, the doors open, and I can see Tsukibara-san being rolled out in a wheelchair, fully conscious, her shocked expression just barely visible through the steam coming off of my body. Wait... Steam... Coming off of MY body... Shit! I'm reverting back to my normal form, and there's no time or place for me to hide.

**A/N-**

**Sorry for the short chapter, but this seemed like a good place to end the chapter. Hopefully, the next couple of chapters will allow me to catch up to a normal length for chapters for me (like at least 1200 words). Anyways please comment and vote! and thank you all for reading! :) **


	5. Ch 4: Sigh Life is Weird

My eyes widened slightly at the sight in front of me. All Might had just started steaming and essentially deflated. The steaming cleared quickly showing a very uncomfortable looking Yagi-san as he greeted me with an uncomfortable smile and a raised hand in greeting. I mean I was surprised but not as much as I imagine others might be in my situation. Maybe it's all the pain meds pumping through my body, or maybe it's because my life has just been one surprise and/or shit show after another.

Either way, I don't know if it was due to my delayed response, but the change in Yagi-san's face is what bothered me. The 100 Watt smile I had become somewhat accustomed to had fallen to a look of a potent mix of guilt, shame, embarrassment, and...fear? Whatever it was, I didn't like it.

"Konbonwa, Yagi-san! Daijobu desuka? (Good evening, Yagi-san! How are you?)" I greeted nonchalantly, as though both of us had not just revealed huge secrets to one another within two days of knowing each other. This seemed to derail him from whatever train of thought he had been on, and he approached me, a smile returning to his face, though it seemed forced.

"Tsukibara-san! Nevermind me! You were the one who was injured. How are you feeling? I'm so sorry I couldn't stop you from getting hurt. Please forgive me," Yagi-san fretted, guilt obvious on his face. I reached out with my right hand and gently gripped the hem of his oversized shirt as that was all I could reach, and smiled sweetly at him.

"Yagi-san... or... All Might-san," I started, stuttering slightly over the two identities before shaking my head to clear my thoughts and moving on, "My injuries are my own fault. I let my distrust and dislike of heroes push me to act rashly. Honestly, if that criminal hadn't shot me, my quirk probably would have went haywire, which could have led to a lot more damage being done." He looked at me in shock, but before he could say anything, we were approached by a giant mouse with a scar over his right eye that walked on its hind legs.

"Tsukibara Kaera, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Nezu, the principle of U.A. High School," the mouse greeted kindly. Wait... The mouse can TALK?!

So let me sum up this day so far: Got invited on a tour of the city with my weirdly friendly neighbor and for some reason agreed to go, went, got angry when heroes were mentioned, ditched said neighbor, got taken hostage, used my quirk that was supposed to be a SECRET, got shot (3 freaking times!), got saved by the number 1 hero, the #1 hero turns out to be my oddly friendly neighbor, and now there's a freaking talking mouse that is the principle of the number one hero school in the country?! Yup. That's it... I'm done...

"You two are overwhelming my patient," the woman who had introduced herself to me as Recovery Girl when I woke up, scolded the two, "She's clearly had a traumatic day, and she needs to go home and rest. Now, Kaera, your left arm and right foot need to stay immobilized. I managed to heal the fracturing to your right hip to the point where you can move; however, the bruising is still quite severe. Is there anyone who can take care of you until you're more mobile?" All attention turned to me as I quickly shook my head.

"No. I can manage on my own-" I started, not wanting to worry anyone or be dependent on anyone.

"I can! I live next door to her anyways! It will be no problem!" Yagi-san interrupted, his 100 Watt smile back full force. I was thankful to see his normal smile return, but that didn't mean I wanted his help.

"Alright, Toshinori, but make sure she doesn't try and overexert herself!" Recovery Girl instructed. I looked between the two of them with a slightly annoyed face before clearing my throat.

"Listen, I really appreciate all the help and concern, but I'm supposed to start teaching at Orideri Junior High on Monday. Furthermore, Yagi-san is apparently the number 1 hero. There's no reason to add more work for him, especially when I can manage just fine on my own," I argued, starting to stress out slightly but trying to stay calm and use logic to get myself out of this. As I began to panic, a large, warm hand rested on my right should, snapping me out of what was sure to be a full on panic attack. I looked up to see Yagi-san giving me a close-eyed smile.

"_**Don't worry, Miss Tsukibara. It's really no problem. Let me help you**_," he said in English, making me relax a bit as I gave a small nod before yawning as a small blush dusted my cheeks. He may be weird, but Yagi-san has a very kind and cute smile.

~Time Skip brought to you by my 10 month old's legit RBF (XD) ~

Once the taxi reached the apartments, Yagi-san helped me from the taxi to my wheelchair as we were faced with another dilemma. The amount of assistance I needed due to my injuries was quite extensive, especially without being able to use my left arm, and I had no idea how to handle this. Yagi-san seemed to not be too bothered as he pushed me in my wheelchair to a door that did not belong to my apartment.

"Ano... Yagi-san..?" I started, getting his attention as he turned to face me.

"Yes? Is everything alright?" he asked, worry evident behind his smile.

"My apartment is that one," I stated plainly, pointing to the door to the right of the one we were currently in front of. Yagi-san chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

"I'm aware, but Recovery Girl told me before we left that you should not be living by yourself while your injuries are so bad. I didn't want to intrude, so I though you could stay at my place until you've healed," Yagi-san explained, clearly nervous about my reaction. I immediately and adamantly shook my head.

"_**No way in hell**_," I said in English before switching back to Japanese, "Thank you for your kindness, Yagi-san, but I will stay in my own apartment. If you're adamant about keeping an eye on me, feel free, but I prefer to be on my own." My voice was monotonous and tired, and the smile on Yagi-san's face fell once again, showing only concern as he simply nodded before pushing me over to my apartment door. I silently handed my keys to him as he unlocked the door and pushed me inside, closing the door behind us.

Once inside, Yagi-san pushed my wheelchair to the corner. As he was removing his shoes, I took that as my opportunity to get up without assistance. I detested depending on other people. Using my right hand, I leaned on the wall and pushed my weight to left my foot, doing my best to balance. In order to move forward, I placed a bit of pressure on my right foot causing me to wince as a memory flooded my mind.

_~Flashback (Kaera's Age: 19)_~

It was my third year of college, and I was volunteering with international student orientation at my university in Oklahoma. Not only did I love volunteering and meeting students from other countries, it also counted as work experience since I was studying foreign affairs.

Anyways, it was time to help the students move into housing. I was in charge of helping the students from India that year since they tended to be shy, and I was known for my outgoing and friendly personality. This semester, our university had three new students from India, 2 boys and 1 girl. I ran up to them excitedly with a huge smile on my face.

"_**Namaste! Mero naam Rose Winters hai!**_ (Hi! My name is Rose Winters!)" I greeted happily in Hindi, "_**Aapse mil ker accha lagaa!**_ (Nice to meet you!)"The 3 stared at me in utter shock, until 1 of the guys snapped out of it and returned my smile.

"_**Namaste! Mero naam Santosh Chandrudu hai**_," he responded kindly with a huge smile of his own. I blushed slightly. Santosh was a rather attractive man, at least to me. He was a couple of inches taller than me with thick wavy black hair that just reached the black plastic frames of his large square glasses. He had a sharp nose, charcoal black eyes, and a short beard and mustache that really suited his angled face.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Rose; however, you should know that these two do not speak Hindi," Santosh explained kindly, "We are all three from Vizag, Andhra Pradesh and primarily speak a language called Telugu." My eyes widened in excitement at the new information. I LOVED learning about different languages and cultures and was well known to geek about new information on the topic.

"Oh my bad! What are your names?" I asked turning to the other boy and girl with a smile on face, but both seemed much more shy than Santosh.

"My name is Rapha Reddy," the other boy, who was quite tall and had shaggy, straight black hair that fell into his eyes, answered, much quieter and in a deeper voice than Santosh.

"And I'm Preethi Yadav. It's nice to meet you," the girl introduced herself with a shy smile, her voice barely louder than a whisper when she spoke. She had thick black curly hair that reached her waist. She was quite petite, barely reaching my chin in height.

With introductions over, they told me where they would be living, and I along with 2 of the male volunteers that were part of the moving crew, took them to their new apartments. When we reached there, I began helping carrying their bags; however, I hadn't realized that the bags were being placed on a slope in the concrete, and let's just say that I am not the most coordinated individual.

As I stepped forward, I placed my foot down on the uneven surface, rolling my ankle and losing my balance in the process. In that split second, I had two options: Fall on my face and get a bloody nose that would undoubtedly freak out the already shy new students or collapse all my weight on the foot that I had stepped on. I chose the second option, and there was a large and sickening crack as I fell.

My foot exploded in pain as I quickly stood up and tried not to freak out the new students, convincing myself that I had only imagined the cracking sound and that I was being over dramatic about the pain. I continued to walk to the apartment, carrying the bag that I had dropped when I fell.

I reached the apartment, dropped the bag, and thinking I was alone for a moment, sat on the floor, steadying my foot as hot tears pricked my eyes. I quickly squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force the tears back before anyone could notice.

_~End Flashback~_

**A/N:**

**All flashbacks will be in English, so the text will only be in bold italics if it switches from English. I didn't know if that was clear or not. Anyways, thanks for reading! Please vote and comment. :)**


	6. Ch 5: Getting Settled In

-Kaera's POV-

"Tsukibara-san! Recovery Girl was very clear that you weren't supposed to be walking! You could do permanent damage to your foot!" Yagi-san exclaimed, worry apparent in his voice as he picked me up bridal style removing the weight from my foot before placing me on the left side of the couch. He walked over and sat down on the right side of the couch, leaving an empty cushion between us. I sighed, irritated by my current lack of independence.

"Yagi-san," I called quietly, getting his attention.

"Toshinori," he corrected with a small smile before elaborating when he saw the questioning look on my face, "You can just call me Toshinori since it looks like we'll be spending quite a bit of time together." His smile was somewhat shy, and I smiled despite myself. He really was quite adorable, almost like a little kid at time.

"Okay then, Toshinori-san, you can call me Kaera. I'm not a huge fan of the whole last name thing anyways," I admitted as he looked at me, nodding in understanding.

Without warning, my stomach growled, and I felt my face grow hot with embarrassment as Toshinori-san chuckled.

"I'm sure you're starving after having such a hectic day. We can order takeout. I'm not much of a cook, I'm afraid," he admitted sheepishly. I looked at the time. 6PM. Too late to do any shopping, especially with me in my current state, so I nodded in agreement.

"What kind of food do you like, Kaera-san?" Toshinori-san inquired as he pulled out his phone, "I know a great ramen place nearby that delivers." I couldn't help the child-like excitement that I felt. Ramen was one of my favorite foods!

"That sounds perfect! Thank you so much, Toshinori-san!" I exclaimed happily, "I want a chicken ramen with an extra egg!" Toshinori-san chuckled at my childish behavior before calling and ordering the food.

Within ten minutes, the food was delivered and Toshinori-san and I were sitting on the couch, our ramen on fold out TV trays that I kept instead of a dining room table. I never had any guests anyways. I quickly grabbed my Firestick remote and pulled up Netflix, not having the energy to have an actual conversation.

"What kind of movies do you like, Toshinori-san?" I asked, mindlessly scrolling through the different options.

"You can choose. I'm not really picky," Toshinori-san responded with a shrug as he placed a fork on my tray. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Did they not give us chopsticks?" I inquired, already knowing the answer.

"Th-they did. I just thought, s-since you're an American, you might prefer a fork, especially since you're injured," he stuttered , trying to defend himself and make up for possibly offending me. His face was bright red as he was clearly flustered, and I couldn't stop a giggle from escaping my lips.

"That's very sweet, Toshinori-san," I admitted with a reassuring smile before continuing, "But I'm right-handed and have lived in Japan for a few years now. I assure you, I am equally as comfortable with chopsticks as I am with a fork." He smiled and nodded as he handed me a pair of already separated chopsticks, and I thanked him while putting on one of my favorite movies: Thor.

"I thought you didn't like superheroes?" Toshinori-san teased with a smile.

"I don't, but I do like Chris Hemsworth," I answered with a smirk and a wink, making him laugh.

After that exchange, we ate in a comfortable silence before agreeing that he would go to his own apartment to sleep with the understanding that I would call him if I needed anything at all. We exchanged cell phone numbers, and he carried me to my bed despite my protests that I could get there just fine on my own.

After Toshinori-san left, I found myself smiling as I fell asleep. It had been so long since I had allowed anyone close to me emotionally. People tried again and again throughout my time studying for my two masters degrees, but I had always been quick to brush them off. Yet, within less than 48 hours, my overly friendly, skeleton skinny neighbor had managed to force himself into my life. And the weirdest part was: I actually didn't mind that much.

The next few days involved getting into a routine. Toshinori-san would come, help me get around my apartment in the morning before getting to where I needed to go for the day (grocery shopping, work, etc.), go do his heroing thing (at least that's what I assumed he was doing), and then he would come pick me up from wherever I was and usually help me make dinner and then we would eat together. Well, the cooking together part mostly consisted of Toshinori-san being my left hand as I chopped the necessary ingredients for dinner. I quickly noticed that he didn't eat much, so I started trying to subtly add as many nutrients and vitamins as possible into the food while still make it tasty and gentle on the stomach.

Then there was the matter of my job. Toshinori-san had managed to get an official police report of the incident that left out the information about my quirk activating (how he did that, I had no idea. He claimed he had a buddy in the police force). With this document, I had been allowed to start my job with no repercussions and the necessary assistance, aka a white projector screen that I could use as a display so I could write my lessons on the board while sitting in my wheelchair. I was in charge of teaching kids from all three years their English classes. The kids here in Japan were much better behaved than kids in the U.S., at least for the most part.

"DEKU, GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY, YOU QUIRKLESS PIECE OF SHIT!"

Speaking of an exception to my previous statement, the foulmouthed brat responsible for that noise-polluting shout was none other than Bakugo Katsuki, an ash-blonde, loud-mouthed brat with an explosion quirk from class 1-A.

"S-sorry, Kacchan…!" a panicked voice all but whimpered in reply.

I sighed. Midoriya Izuku. Super bright and hard working but terribly shy and skittish. The dynamic of these two managed to trigger a migraine for me at least twice a week without fail. Thankfully, the bell rang, meaning it was time for my class. While Midoriya and Bakugo were polar opposites in almost every way, they at least both took their grades seriously, though you'd never guess that was the case by looking at the damned anger management hedgehog that was Bakugo Katsuki.

Three weeks had passed when I received a text message during my lunch break.

Toshinori: Hey, I have some great news for you!

Me: You finally learned not to put tin foil in the microwave? ;P

I laughed out loud at my own snarkiness, earning me some weird looks from the other teachers in the lounge for lunch break. Toshinori-san had tried to heat up leftovers wrapped in tin foil causing sparks that caused the fire alarm in our apartment complex to go off TWICE. It would have been thrice if I hadn't caught him right before he had pressed start the third time.

Toshinori: That only happened once!

Me: No

Me: That happened twice to the point where the fire alarm went off, and the entire apartment had to be evacuated.

Me: Would've been 3X if I hadn't stopped you the other day.

Toshinori: …you really don't cut me any slack…

Me: That's cause I don't like heroes.

That was only a half-joke. I honestly still did not like heroes as a whole, more so I didn't trust them. It seemed to me that most were just obsessed with rankings and fame; however, Toshinori-san was the exception to the rule. He had been nothing but selfless in helping me even though he gained nothing in return. It confused me, but it made me happy, especially with how much respect he had shown me. Toshinori-san had never once pressured me about my quirk or my past although he had every opportunity to do so.

Toshinori: Fine. I guess I'll really that message to Recovery Girl and you can wait another 4 weeks to get out of that wheelchair instead of getting out of it this afternoon.

Toshinori: And after all that pestering I did so that you would have an easier time…

My heart soared in excitement and then simultaneously dropped in panic at the thought of having to wait even a second longer to get out of this damned wheelchair. My heart racing, I quickly typed my apology. Although I had truthfully been enjoying the time I had been spending with Toshinori-san, I desperately needed my independence back.

Me: Noooooo! Wait, I changed my mind!

Me: Heroes are great!

Me: PLUS ULTRAAAAA!

Me: ...or something like that…

Me: Please take me to Recovery Girl today…

Me: I'll make you bentos for a month!

I was so desperate to get out of this wheelchair, and it was obvious. The two minutes that Toshinori-san left me on read felt like an eternity. That blonde skeleton was probably teasing me.

Toshinori: Just teasing you!

Toshinori: Of course I'll still take you.

Toshinori: I bet sending that Plus Ultra message hurt. ;P

Toshinori: And thanx in advance for the bentos ;)

I growled in annoyance with myself. I should've known. That man did not have a vindictive bone in his body.

Me: …

Me: … I hate you…

Me: -_-

And with that final message, the bell rang and I hurried to teach my next class, eager to get through the rest of the day and finally get out of this wheelchair.


	7. Ch 6: Ages and Arguments

The end of the day could not come fast enough. Not only was I getting healed today, but it was also Friday, which meant I would get to enjoy my first days of freedom without having to worry about work!

My excitement reached a head when I saw a now all too familiar black sedan out front. Despite being the number 1 hero, Toshinori-san much preferred to stay under the radar in his daily life, which was one of the reasons I really respected the kind blond man.

"Hey, Tsukibara! Looks like your boyfriend is here!" Kurosawa Isao, one of my coworkers, teased loudly. He was an okay guy I guess. His hair was dark brown, straight, and neat, and his eyes were amber in color. By most girls standards, he was a good-looking guy. The only thing was…

"Shut it, Kurosawa! He's not my boyfriend! He's just a friend who's helping me out until I'm healed," I explained for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Oh… So that means I can get your number then?" Kurosawa asked as he came up beside me with a smirk, his amber eyes shining with mischief. For some reason, he would not leave me alone about getting my number. It got on my last nerve. Toshinori-san reached us right at that moment and seemed wildly uncomfortable at Kurosawa's question. His smile faltered slightly, and I felt my own good mood dip for some reason in response.

"Not on your life, Kurosawa," I answered with a smirk of my own before adding somewhat absent mindedly under my breath, "Besides, I'm kind of interested in someone already." Where the hell had that come from? Obviously, the two men in front of me were thinking the same thing, except Toshinori-san looked somewhat...disappointed? My chest pained again, and I made a mental note to mention it to Recovery Girl when we got to her office. Speaking of which…

"Toshinori," I said, getting his attention and causing Kurosawa to raise an eyebrow, "Can we please go now?" Toshinori's smile came back brighter than before and nodded.

"Of course! Let's go!" Toshinori exclaimed happily as he grabbed the handles on my wheelchair and started pushing me towards his car. He opened the door on the passenger side and picked me up bridal style to carefully move me from my wheelchair to the seat.

"Hey, Kaera! If you ever get tired of hanging out with Scarecrow-oji-san, just let me know!" Toshinori tensed with me still in his arms at Kurosawa's jeer, his smile trying to hide the disheartened look in his electric blue eyes. I placed my right hand comfortingly on his chest.

"Ignore him, Toshinori," I murmured in comfort, "He's a moron." Toshinori's smile turned more sincere though it still didn't quite reach his eyes the way it had before, chuckling lightly as he placed me in the car, gently shut the door before going to the driver's seat.

We rode in silence for a couple of minutes before I decided to try and break the silence. It was clear that Kurosawa's comment had gotten to him more than he wanted to show.

"How old are you anyways, Toshinori-san? Kurosawa's a moron! He thought I had just finished my bachelor's when I started," I asked, quickly adding the last bit but leaving out that the reason he had thought that was because I had used one of my folders from college the first day.

"Ah… Well… I probably am quite a bit older than you and your colleague are…" Toshinori started nervously before trying to change the topic, "Why did you start adding the -san to my name after dropping it earlier?"

Now, it was my turn to be a bit flustered. I had no idea why I'd done it other than it had just felt...right?

"I-I'm not sure… It happened earlier without me thinking, and I was worried it may have offended you," I half-admitted with a shy smile, "Sorry about that."

"No need to apologize," he stated kindly, his eyes darting to mine for a moment before returning to the road, "It was nice. I've been All Might, the Symbol of Peace, for so long that not many people know me as just Toshinori anymore. I'm not exactly the safest or easiest person to get to know. Everyone is much more interested in All Might." His voice and words both held so much emotion in them that I felt tears prick my eyes and quietly cleared my throat to avoid a voice crack; however, a few tears managed to escape, but I wiped those away quickly.

"Well, for what it's worth, I prefer you as Toshinori," I said before realizing that could be taken in a weird way and laughed to lighten the mood, "You're much quieter and less awkward this way."

Toshinori looked absolutely shocked before his face lit up with the brightest smile that I had seen from him as he let out a joyful chuckle before murmuring a thank you.

"No problem!" I exclaimed before smirking, "Now about your age…" He groaned at my persistence, but I continued, "I'll make you a deal. We both tell each other our ages, and we both drop the -san's from each other's names." I gave him a sort of pleading look, and he shook his head in defeat.

"Deal," he agreed hesitantly, "But no making fun of my age." I nodded enthusiastically.

"Nothing too bad," I assured with a teasing smile, and he sighed but smiled despite himself.

"I'm 35," Toshinori finally admitted, and I giggled, causing his face to go red in embarrassment.

"Sorry, Toshinori," I apologized between giggles, "I just find it funny that you think that 35 is old! I mean, I'm 27. That's only like 8 years difference give or take depending on our birthdays. Mine is December 21." I was rambling kind of quickly at the end, a nervous habit I thought I had long since gotten over.

"That's almost a decade of difference, Kaera," he pointed out. Now, it was my turn to groan in frustration, causing Toshinori to send me a puzzled look.

"Look, I haven't made a single friend since before the funer- since before I left the U.S., not because I wasn't approached. I fought to keep everyone at a distance. If you want to not hang out with me anymore now that I'll be healed, then fine. Just drop me off at Recovery Girl's office and leave. Your heroic duty will be over and you can quit pretending to care!" I all but spat at him.

Most of my anger was stemming from my nervousness and anxiety from finally being close to someone again. After Santosh and Isha's funeral, I had fled the U.S. and sworn off letting myself get attached to anyone, especially men. Then, this blond dork had to burst past those rules I had made, no matter how slightly close he had managed to get to me.

I could feel my chest tightening, and I tried to stop my breaths from coming out as gasps. Without thinking, I bent over, reaching with my left arm to grab my wallet from the floor board that had my emergency panic attack medicines in it. Pain shot through my left shoulder as I managed to grasp my wallet and sit up, opening it before the pain again exploded in my shoulder, making everything fade to black…


	8. Ch 7: Pictures and Angry Hobos

-Toshinori's POV-

I was pulling into the parking lot of U.A. just as we were finishing our argument. Looking over, I saw Kaera passed out with her wallet open in her lap and a pained expression on her face. Shit!

Without hesitation, I unbuckled Kaera before getting out of the car and getting her out too, holding her close to my chest as I ran to recovery Girl's office, Kaera still clutching her wallet. When we reached Recovery Girl's office, the heroine herself took one look at me with Kaera in my arms before shaking her head with a sigh as she had me place Kaera on the bed inside before shoving Kaera's wallet into my hand and shoving me out of the office, closing the door behind me.

Sighing in concern, I slid to the floor, looking at Kaera's wallet that was wide open. I was fixing to close it when the photo caught my attention. Curiosity overwhelming my guilt for being nosey, I removed the photo get a closer look.

In the photo was a young child with dark brown wavy hair and tanned skin. She was passed out and looked like she may have been sick if the bags under the child's closed eyes were any indication. She was an adorable kid, but that's not what caught my attention the most.

Holding the young girl was Kaera, but she looked so different. Her normally neat curly strawberry blonde hair was in a messy bun, with pieces sticking out in all different directions. She was wearing large round silver glasses, but they didn't hide the obvious dark circles under her eyes. She was quite obviously much heavier than she was now, and I found myself shocked by the weight loss. She was wearing an oversized white v-neck shirt and some baggy gray pants.

What shocked me more than anything was her smile. Even though her eyes were closed, the smile was on her face, though small, lit up the whole photo. Out of curiosity, I turned over the photo and saw two sets of writing: One in English and one in a language I didn't recognize.

Rose (22yrs) and Isha (2yrs) Chandrudu

గులాబీ & ఇషా చంద్రుడు

"What the hell are you doing with that?!" I heard an angry voice yell from behind me. Quickly putting the photo back where I found it, I turned to see a very pissed Kaera behind me. Part of me was really happy to see her standing on her own two feet again, but that happiness was quickly replaced by concern as her eyes began turning white and the hallway suddenly became unbearable hot.

"Kaera, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to pry. I just saw the photo, and my curiosity got the best of me," I apologized quickly as I reached out to grab her arm to calm her down.

"Don't fucking touch me, Toshinori!" she all but screamed as flames began to erupt from her back; however, as soon as they appeared, the flames disappeared, and Kaera's eyes returned to their normal emerald color.

"Does anyone care to explain to me what the hell is going on here?" I looked over to see Aizawa Shota, aka Eraserhead, approaching us, his eyes red and his hair defying gravity, indicating that he was using his quirk.

"None of your damn business. More importantly, U.A. needs to work on its security if some high as fuck emo hobo was able to breach it," Kaera retorted with a glare in the underground hero's direction. I sighed. This was quickly turning into a real mess.

Laughter was heard from behind Aizawa as none other than Present Mic came up beside the scruffy haired hero, putting an arm around his shoulder.

"Man, high as fuck emo hobo! She got you there, Shota!" Mic laughed before turning to us, "Oh hey, All Might! This pretty listener with you? What's got her so mad?" I chuckled nervously at his question as Kaera's glare, now directed at me, intensified.

"Uhhh… Yes. She's with me. Eraser, Mic, this is my neighbor Tsukibara Kaera," I answered, choosing to ignore his last question before focusing on Aizawa, whose eyes and hair were back to normal, "Thanks, Eraser. As you can see, Kaera struggles to control her quirk, and it can actually injure her. So thank you for stopping her." Kaera looked at me in surprise before turning to the other two in surprise.

"So you're telling me that the hobo and emo boy band wannabe are heroes?" she asked in English, turning back to me. I facepalmed at this.

"Actually, we're pro heroes and teachers at this school. My name is Hizashi Yamada. I'm an English teacher here," Present Mic answered, a kind smile still on his face, "This is Shota Aizawa. He's one of the homeroom teachers for the hero course."

"Well crap," Kaera muttered, clearly embarrassed, "Well thanks for stopping my quirk, but in my defense, Toshinori, started it. Effing nosey blonde." I blinked in surprise at this completely different side of her. She was not normally quite this expressive, but I had to admit, it was a nice change, if not a bit intimidating.

"Why are you here?" Aizawa asked, clearly getting tired of the whole thing.

"She was getting healed by Recovery Girl. She was held hostage in a bank robbery a few weeks back and was shot three times. There were some injuries that couldn't be fully healed the day of so we came back. We just got done and were just leaving," I explained, directing the last statement at Kaera who started to argue, but the stern look I gave her seemed to stop her. Sighing, she began to walk towards me.

"Not so fast, Chandrudu Rose-chan." All of us turned in surprise to see none other than Principle Nezu. Kaera's face drained of color.

"H-how do you know th-that name?" she asked, starting to cower behind me, her usually strong voice shaking. I turned towards her in concern.

"All Might. Kaera. Please meet me in my office tomorrow for tea, and we will discuss this," Nezu said, his smile still present as he turned to focus on Kaera, "And, Kaera-chan, I would advise against running. I'd rather have this conversation without the use of force." At this, Kaera gripped onto my baggy white shirt, as Nezu faced me. "All Might, you should probably take her home now," he suggested, though due to his demeanor, it was quite obviously an order.

I nodded and wrapped my arm around Kaera's still shaking shoulders and murmured a gentle, "Let's go, Kaera," before leading her to the exit.

The whole car ride back to the apartment Kaera seemed to go between a panicked look and an almost zombie-like expression. Either way, her only movement was her constant trembling, but she never once made a sound. She seemed unaware of her surroundings, and I recognized her symptoms: Shock. What had this poor woman gone through that caused her to go into shock by being called a name?

When we reached the apartments, Kaera didn't even argue with me when I led her to my apartment instead of hers. After leading her into my apartment, I gently guided her to the couch and got her to sit down.

"Kaera, I'm going to the kitchen to make us some tea. Will you be alright here by yourself for a few minutes?" I inquired gently. In response, the woman in question grabbed my arm in response and shook her head.

"Toshinori, I'm scared…" Kaera finally said softly. Hesitantly, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her into my side as I sat down beside her.

"What are you so afraid of, Kaera?" I asked, keeping my voice soft, "Please tell me so I can help you."

"It's a long story…" she started smally avoiding eye contact with me, "And I really don't want to drag you into my mess." Her voice sounded so broken, so devoid of hope. She was so different than before.

I gently grasped her chin, tilting her head up towards me so I could see her emerald green eyes. I won't lie. She was a very attractive woman, and I had really enjoyed spending time with her the last few weeks. I'd even planned to ask her out for dinner after we were done at U.A., but then that mess had happened.

Now, all I could focus on was that pain in her emerald eyes as they met my blue one. All I wanted was to make that pain go away. I may be the number one hero, but at that moment, I just cared about wanting to be her hero, if she'd only let me that is.

"You're not dragging me into anything. I'm running into this with you, so that I can help you clean it up," I replied confidently, giving her my hero smile.

"Why? It's just gonna make your life harder. How can you be so sure that it can be fixed?" she challenged, anguish clear in her eyes and voice.

"Because my dear," I said before briefly turning into All Might but still keeping my voice from booming like it tended to in this form, "That's what heroes do!"


	9. Ch 8: This Is My Story

**Warning: This chapter includes some pretty vivid descriptions of gore and death. So don't read if you can't handle it. However that all starts with the flashback which is in italics. So don't read the italics if you can't handle it. I don't want to trigger anyone.**

-Kaera's POV-

"Because my dear," Toshinori said confidently, his stormy blue eyes staring into mine as he briefly turned into All Might, "That's what heroes do!" He quickly reverted back to being Toshinori, and I returned his bright smile with a small one of my own before taking a deep breath as I grabbed his large hand to keep me grounded. He looked at me, puzzled.

"Sorry, but I need to do something to try and keep me grounded to hopefully avoid a panic attack," I admitted shyly before going to pull my hand back from embarrassment; however, Toshinori tightened his grip on my hand and smiled interlacing our fingers.

"It's fine. I'm here to help however I can, Kaera," he responded kindly.

"Rose," I corrected, earning another confused look from him so I elaborated, "My real name is Rose Aileen Winters. My last name changed to Chandrudu after I got married about 6.5 years ago. I'm originally from a small town in Jefferson, Texas. I was forced to change my name when I came here to avoid anyone finding me after _the incident_ occurred."

"Rose," Toshinori called gently, and I squeezed his hand, knowing full well what his next question would be, "What incident?" I sighed sadly as I took another deep breath.

"Four years ago, almost five now. November 5th in Dallas, Texas was the day everything I valued most in this world was taken from me in an instant," I started as I squeezed Toshinori's hand.

-_Flashback November 5th (4 years earlier)-_

"_Mommy! Mommyyyyyy!" I woke up to the sound of my daughter, Isha, crying my name. I groaned and looked at the time. 630AM… on a Saturday… My husband Santosh, groaned quietly as I rolled out of bed as he tried to grab my waist to keep me in bed. This caused me to chuckle as I wiggled out of his grip._

"_Sorry, honey," I said softly as I kissed his forehead, "Isha's awake. I'll make us some tea and start breakfast." He hummed in response as I got up and walked next door to Isha's room._

_Our daughter was currently standing up in her crib, crying because she was alone. When she saw me, she calmed down slightly, eagerly reaching for me to pick her up. I quickly did and took her into the kitchen and put her in her highchair and gave her some dry cereal on her tray._

"_Juice!" Isha cried, and I smiled to myself to avoid getting annoyed with her impatience and put some apple juice in her pink sippy cup, quickly giving it to the impatient toddler._

_After Isha was situated, I filled our electric kettle with water before switching it on. While that was going, I quickly made a simple breakfast with fried eggs, toast, and bacon, finishing it off with some tea. Right as I finished setting the table, Santosh came into the kitchen/dining room, already dressed for the day in some dark wash jeans and a red v-neck shirt._

"_Good morning, my babies!" he greeted enthusiastically as he kissed Isha on the head before coming over, giving me a chaste kiss on the lips, "The food looks great, babe."_

"_Thanks, honey," I replied, a soft smile on my lips, "Don't forget. We're takin' Isha to the park today." Isha beamed at this and clapped her hands happily. _

"_Swing! Swing!" she exclaimed happily. Santosh and I just laughed. Her excitement was contagious as we sat down to eat._

_-TIME SKIP TO THAT AFTERNOON-_

_The park was a popular place to be that day what with the weather being oddly warm for November in Texas. Isha and Santosh still wore light jackets, but I've always been hot natured so I stuck to a simple sleeveless dark gray kurti (Indian dress) with hot pink leggings and some dark gray converse sneakers._

_Kids were playing on the jungle gyms, merry-go-rounds, slides, and swings, and the teens and adults occupied the fields and sidewalks just walking or playing games together._

_It was dusk, the sun just starting to set, turning the Dallas suburb sky a beautiful mosaic of pinks, purples, reds, and oranges, easily my favorite time of day. Or at least it was._

_Santosh was pushing Isha on the swings, as I sat on the wooden planks that kept the shredded tire that was used as a cushion, contained. Isha squealed with joy as Santosh pushed her higher than he ever had before. The overprotective mom in me was so panicked at the thought of Isha falling from that height that as I got up and ran towards them, I didn't notice the dark figure coming up behind Santosh until it was too late._

_Blood… There was so much blood… The sight in front of me was gruesome to say the least. Black tendrils shot through Santosh's abdomen and upwards through Isha's head, stopping her in midair before they were quickly retracted, leaving a gaping hole in Santosh's abdomen, his face frozen to an expression of shock and pain. His eyes were now devoid of life as he fell to his knees and then face first on the ground. Isha fell from her place in the air, landing on her back with a sickening thump._

_In a hopeful panic, I ran over to Isha praying that she, by some miracle, survived. When I reached her, I gingerly took her head in my hands and almost threw up. Both of her eyes had been pierced through, leaving two holes in her head that were bleeding profusely, soaking my clothes._

"_ISHA! ISHA NO! MY BABY! SOMEBODY HELP!" I screamed in pure anguish as I broke into sobs. An evil laugh resonated throughout the park, drowning out my sobs._

"_So weak! I can't believe you're the one that supposedly inherited Icarys. It looks like you've never even activated the quirk. What a waste!" the dark figure taunted snidely. What the hell was a quirk? Icarys? Isn't that a character from Greek mythology? The hell is wrong with this psycho?_

"_I'll fucking kill you!" I yelled angrily. As I went to charge the bastard in front of me, an arm wearing a yellow glove shot in front of me, stopping me. I looked up ready to cuss out whoever thought it was a good idea to stop me, but what I saw both shocked and confused me._

_Standing in front of me was a muscular, yet curvy woman with fair skin and raven black straight hair. What really threw me for a loop was her outfit. She looked like a legit cosplayer or LARPer._

_The raven-haired woman had on a sleeveless dark navy bodysuit with a white hooded cape and boots. She also had a weird red cape-like thing around her waist. She turned to me, and I noticed the red thing was secured by a yellow buckle. She also had a beauty mark under the right side of her lip, but again, it was her expression that surprised me._

_The woman had a smile on her face, her gray eyes confident. I swore I saw a spark in them as we made eye contact._

"_Don't worry, my dear! I'm a hero, and I'm going to make sure you get out of here safely!" she said, her smile not leaving her face. I glared at her in response._

"_Me living won't bring my daughter and husband back!" I yelled, and I saw her eyes soften as she put both of her hands on my shoulders._

"_I know. My husband was also killed by a villain, but you have to live life to the fullest for them," she said with a small smile, but the pain in her eyes is what convinced me that she truly did understand my pain, at least to some extent, "And I'm going to make sure that you have that opportunity." And with that, she shoved me, and I flew back ten feet though somehow, I wasn't injured._

"_All For One! You have taken this girl's family, but I swear to you, you won't touch a hair on her head. This ends now!" the woman yelled, and suddenly, power seemed to erupt from her as she charged at the dark figure that had murdered Santosh and Isha._

_The dark figure and the heroine had a short, but intense battle, and as much as I knew I should have, I couldn't get myself to run away. The smile never left the woman's face, so I never realized she was losing until it was too late. _

_As I stood there in horrified awe, the dark figure I now knew to be All For One suddenly shot his black tendrils at ME. There was no time for me to react, so I just closed my eyes and braced myself. That is until I heard a crunch followed by the sickening feeling of a warm liquid spraying my abdomen and the bottom of my face._

_My eyes opened in shock at the sight before me. The heroine stood in front of me. Black tendrils pierced through her abdomen similar to what had been done to Santosh. But the woman in front of me had the most peaceful smile on her face as the tendrils were retracted and she fell to her knees and into my arms, facing me._

"_Do not fret, dear. Keep a smile on your face, or until you can find a reason to smile again, at least don't quit living. You owe that to your husband and your daughter. Understand?" she asked, her voice shaking, but her smile unwavering. Tears filling my eyes, I nodded._

"_Good girl. Now, please escape here. Go to Japan. It will be safe there, and you can learn to harness your quirk," she said, her breathing becoming laboured as she gasped with her final breath, "Fly, Icarys!" _

_And with that, she closed her eyes, and her breathing ceased. Tears flowed freely from my eyes as I gently laid the heroine down before standing to face the dark figure responsible for this whole tragedy._

"_Oh, Nana, how the mighty have fallen! Giving up your life for some girl with no reason to live!" the dark bastard was _fucking laughing_. My vision flashed as white hot fury filled me to the point where I thought I would split at the seams._

_Then, with a scream filled with every ounce of grief, anger, and confusion I had trapped inside me, pain erupted from my back, and the smell of burning flesh filled my nostrils. A white staff appeared in front of me, and by pure instinct, I reached out and grabbed it, ignoring the searing pain in my hand. Then everything flashed white for what seemed like an instant before fading to black._

_-END flashback-_


	10. Ch 9: Here's To New Beginnings

-Rose's POV-

Toshinori, who had waited patiently for me to finish, was shaking. Confused, I looked up to see an expression of pure anguish contorting his normally smiling face as tears flowed from his electric blue eyes causing my heart to clench painfully in my chest.

"I'm sorry, Toshinori. I know my story is kind of depressing; thought, I didn't take you for a cryer," Itried to joke as I used my free hand to play with a piece of my hair nervously. Toshinori closed his eyes and took a deep breath before meeting my eyes again, a serious expression on his face.

"There's something I need to tell you, Rose," he said, his deep voice heavy with whatever he wanted to tell me, so I nodded to indicate that I was listening, "That heroine that protected you… Her full name was Shimura Nana… She was my mentor… She was also the one who gave me my quirk which is called One for All."

My jaw dropped, and the tears I had managed to hold back up to this point began freely flowing as I threw my arms around Toshinori's neck, sobbing into his shoulder. It was my fault his mentor was dead. His voice was so full of pain that I couldn't stand it.

"I'm so sorry, Toshinori! It's all my fault," I sobbed softly into his neck. I felt his muscles stiffen briefly, and I was afraid he was going to push me away. To my surprise, he relaxed and wrapped his arm around my waist and gently pulled me into his lap, hugging me closer and rubbing circles on my back in a comforting manner.

"Shhh… Rose, I didn't tell you that to make you feel guilty. And I know Nana wouldn't want you to feel that way either," Toshinori soothed, his voice almost a whisper in my ear, "Yes, I miss her, but I get to carry on her legacy, and thanks to her, I got to meet you as well." I blushed at this slightly and pulled back to look at him and was surprised to see a smile on his face. He cupped my face with his large, warm hands, gently wiping my tears away with his thumbs.

"I hate to pry, but how did you end up in Japan with a new name?" Toshinori asked, gently encouraging me to finish my story. Taking a deep breath, I leaned into his chest, and his arms wrapped themselves securely around em. There was nothing sexual or anything about this or odd tension in the air and for that, I was grateful. It seemed both Toshinori and I took great comfort in the affection. Listening to his steady heartbeat, I took one more deep breath and relaxed as I finished explaining things to him.

"After my quirk activated, my memory skips for some reason to me waking up shivering on the ground, surrounded by military SWAT teams. They took me in and explained to me that the U.S. did not allow individuals with active quirks to live freely there, so I was given two options: Join the U.S. military and become a weapon with no will of my own or give up my American citizenship and be shipped off to Japan with a new identity, not being allowed to contact anyone from my previous life," I explained.

"I obviously chose the latter. The military was kind enough to allow me to go to the funeral for Isha and Santosh, and then, with no warning even to me, they arrested me in front of everyone after I had spoken at their burial. Everyone was told that I was going to a maximum security prison where I wasn't allowed any visitors.

Each family member of mine and Santosh's were told that they could each write me one letter that would be delivered to me there. From the funeral, I was taken in a military vehicle to the airport. On the way there, I was given a Japanese passport and other documentation with my new name on them, including my two bachelors' degrees, though they put another university on it. Then, I came here, did two master's degrees simultaneously, and then got the job at the junior high here in Musutafu." taking a breath, I shuddered slightly at the thought of the one loose end that I had never figured out.

"You're thinking about All For One, aren't you?" Toshinori asked softly, and my gaze shot up to meet his.

"Do you have a mind reading quirk too?" I joked, still eyeing him somewhat suspiciously. This earned a chuckle from him as he shook his head.

"Rose, get up for a minute. I need to show you something," Toshinori stated seriously, releasing me from his arms. A childish part of me wanted to whine at the loss of warmth, but I did as I was told and moved beside him on the couch.

Toshinori turned to me and grabbed the hem of his oversized white shirt with his left hand and hesitantly lifted it up. There was no holding back the gasp of shock that escaped my lips at the sight before me.

Right where his left lung should be was an angry looking red and purple scar that spread across most of the left side of his abdomen. It appeared to be an older scar, but it still looked insanely painful. I felt fresh tears spring to my eyes at the sight. Who would do such inflict such a horrible injury to such a kind-hearted man like Toshinori? Then, it hit me.

"I'm sorry. I know it's disgusting. I wanted to show you, so that the secrets between us were gone. Long story short, I fought All For One about 2.5 years back. I managed to defeat him at the expense of half of my respiratory system and most of my stomach," Toshinori explained before looking away, "Now, I can only use my quirk for a few hours a day. The rest of the time, this is what I look like."

He looked so ashamed and not confident in himself at all. It pained me so much to see, and I realized that I needed him to be happy and confident. Before losing my nerve, I grabbed his hand that was holding his shirt up, letting it fall. I cupped his cheeks with my hands like he did to me before, forcing him to look at me.

"Toshinori," I said gently, "Thank you so much. You're amazing. The scar isn't gross. It just looked painful, and I hate the thought of you being in pain. Just because you can't be All Might all the time doesn't mean you're any less of a hero. Thank you for being here for me and for protecting me and everyone else." He looked at me in shock before giving me a dazzling smile, and I dropped my hands and started to move away from him.

"Now, enough of this emotional stuff. This is my first day of actual freedom in weeks! Let's celebrate!" I suddenly exclaimed, jumping up and punching the air in excitement, earning a hearty laugh from Toshinori.

"What did you have in mind?" he asked, getting up and grabbing his keys and wallet. I grinned. I had been doing research on this since shortly after I was put in the wheelchair.

"I know just the place," I said, my grin widening, "Since we're all about learning about each other today… Go get changed. We're going to a bar I read about." Toshinori looked at me a bit sheepishly.

"I'm a bit old to be bar hopping, Rose," he pointed out, seeming a bit nervous causing me to laugh. Cute.

"We aren't going bar hopping. Just trust me. I'm going to my apartment to get ready. Give me 20 minutes," I informed, giggling as I ran out the door and to my apartment, not giving Toshinori another chance to argue.

-Time Skip to the Bar (TOSHINORI'S POV)-

I sighed internally as I followed Rose into the bar she had picked. At least she seemed really happy, and honestly, she looked really good. Her usually tied back ginger hair was left down and curly, and she was wearing a sleeveless knee length dress with a slight v in it that hugged her curves in a way that was frankly, sinful, and silver flats. Part of me was just relieved that she wasn't going out on her own like that. She would be the target of men for sure, and that just didn't sit well with me.

"What are we doing here, Rose?" I asked her in a quiet voice as we walked into the bar. It seemed pretty low key, not super loud by any means. She just smiled at me and pointed to a sign on the bar.

"OPEN MIC NIGHT TONIGHT"

"There's more for you to learn about me," Rose responded with a smile and a wink as we approached the bar, and she turned to the bartender, "I'll have a whiskey and coke please." The bartender nodded and looked to me, waiting for my order.

"I'll just have a beer," I said, my eyes focused on Rose as she walked over to the stage, which currently wasn't being used. The bartender returned with our drinks, as I continue to watch Rose, my eyes filled with curiosity, and took a drink of my beer. To my surprise, the ginger haired woman sat down at the piano and adjusted the microphone that was stationed in front of it.

"Good evening everyone! Please bare with me. It's been a while since I've played and sang, and I've never done it in a setting like this. But today is a day of new beginnings for me, so here goes nothing," Rose explained as she started playing the piano and smiling in my direction, looking nervous. I grinned at her reassuringly and gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up, causing her to give me an amused, but relaxed smile and a roll of her eyes as she began to sing.

_It's been a minute since I called you_

_Just to hear the answerphone_

_Yeah, I know that you won't get this_

_But I'll leave a message so I'm not alone_

_This morning I woke up still dreaming_

_With memories playing through my head_

_You'll never know how much I miss you_

_The day that they took you, I wish it was me instead_

_But you once told me, "Don't give up_

_You can do it day by day"_

_And diamonds, they don't turn to dust or fade away_

_So I will keep you day and night, here until the day I die_

_I'll be living one life for the two of us_

_I will be the best of me, always keep you next to me_

_I'll be living one life for the two of us_

_Even when I'm on my own, I know I won't be alone_

_Tattooed on my heart are the words of your favourite song_

_I know you'll be looking down, swear I'm gonna make you proud_

_I'll be living one life for the two of us_

_I could feel your blood run through me_

_You're written in my DNA_

_Looking back in every mirror_

_I know you'll be waiting, I'll see you again_

_But you once told me, "Don't give up_

_You can do it day by day"_

_And diamonds, they don't turn to dust or fade away (fade away)_

_So I will keep you day and night, here until the day I die_

_I'll be living one life for the two of us_

_I will be the best of me, always keep you next to me_

_I'll be living one life for the two of us_

_Even when I'm on my own, I know I won't be alone_

_Tattooed on my heart are the words of your favourite song_

_I know you'll be looking down, swear I'm gonna make you proud_

_I'll be living one life for the two of us_

_I promised you I'd do this_

_So all of this is all for you_

_Oh, I swear to God you're living_

_Through everything I'll ever do_

_So I will keep you day and night, here until the day I die_

_I'll be living one life for the two of us_

_I will be the best of me, always keep you next to me_

_I'll be living one life for the two of us_

_Even when I'm on my own, I know I won't be alone_

_Tattooed on my heart are the words of your favourite song_

_I know you'll be looking down, swear I'm gonna make you proud_

_I'll be living one life for the two of us_

_One life for the two of us_

_I'll be living one life for the two of us_

_We'll end just like we started_

_Just you and me and no one else_

_I will hold you where my heart is_

_One life for the two of us_

The bar was silent before applause could be heard. I was in awe. Her voice was beautiful, and while she seemed to have messed up a little on the piano, it was still very pleasant to listen to. The song she chose though is what touched me more than anything. The lyrics were beautiful and relevant to everything we had talked about that afternoon, and I saw a glint of hope and confidence that warmed my heart to see from Rose. There was no way for me to reduce my giant grin as she returned to sit beside me at the bar.

"Wow! Rose, that was amazing!" I exclaimed as she sat beside me, sipping her drink. She smiled in return, a content smile that spoke more than words could have at that point. We finished our drinks, paid, and walked back to the apartment, just enjoying each other's company.

I found myself feeling a bit down at the thought of saying goodnight. Tonight had been amazing. Emotional, but amazing nonetheless. All too soon, we reached the apartments.

"Goodnight, Rose," I said with a soft smile as I left her in front of her door and walked towards mine, but I was stopped by Rose grabbing my hand. I turned towards, but she was looking nervously at the ground, a light pink blush across her cheeks.

"Is everything okay?" I inquired, concern lacing my voice.

"Toshi, would it… be okay… if I stayed with you tonight?..." she asked shyly before taking a deep breath to explain, "I still get nightmares that he'll find me ya know? I know you defeated him, but I dunno… I just really don't wanna be alone tonight." I smiled and lifted her chin to get her to look at me.

"Of course you can," I replied reassuringly, "You can use my spare bedroom. Anytime you don't want to be alone, you're welcome here." She just nodded in thanks as we went to my apartment for the night.

As I laid in my bed, I couldn't help the huge smile that spread across my face as I fell into a peaceful sleep.

Song: Two of Us by Louis Tomlinson


	11. Ch 10: Meeting with Nezu

-Kaera's POV-

Knock! Knock!

I groaned in response as I rubbed my eyes and looked at my phone. 6AM. Dear God… Why am I awake so early? I put my glasses on since I had taken my contacts out the night before.

"Entiii? (Whaatttt?)" I groaned aloud in Telugu without thinking. Slowly, the door opened to reveal Toshinori with an apologetic smile, looking like he also had just woken up. His usually already messy blonde hair was even more shaggy than usual if that was even possible.

"Sorry, Rose. But we both need to get up if we are going to have enough time to eat breakfast before our morning tea meeting with Principal Nezu," he explained, his voice deeper than usual and a bit husky from just waking up. I blushed, but instead of the burning sensation I felt in my stomach, I took off my glasses and turned back over on my stomach on the bed, pulling the covers over my head in the process.

"I won't eat breakfast, so I'm gonna sleep another 20 minutes," I called to him before closing my eyes, " Good night!"

After that, I heard the door close and relaxed, removing the covers from over my head thinking I was alone again. My assumption was proven incorrect when I felt a weight on the bed quickly followed by the feeling of Toshinori's large, warm hand on my head as he started gently pushing back the hair that had fallen over my face.

"If you're trying to convince me to wake up, playing with my hair is pretty much the least effective way to do so," I muttered dreamily as he gently stroked my hair.

The bed gently shook as Toshinori let out a deep chuckle, and I couldn't help but think about how nice it sounded, as his low voice interrupted my thoughts, "Rose, you need to get up. We'll get breakfast on the way. It'll be my treat." I groaned, but finally agreed, muttering frustrations and curses under my breath in English, Spanish, Telugu, and Hindi, earning another chuckle from Toshinori.

After that, the morning was pretty uneventful. I went over to my apartment and changed into some tan caprisd, a navy blue sleeveless button up shirt, and a pair of navy blue low top converse sneakers before throwing my curly hair into a high ponytail and meeting Toshinori at his cars.

Once we reached U.A., we quickly walked up to Nezu's office; however, before that, Toshinori turned into his hero form, ignoring the questioning look I shot him. Upon reaching the office, we were immediately welcomed in by the high pitched voice of the furball principal.

"What's the meaning of this, Nezu? I'm missing out on valuable time I could be using to train my so-" a man with red hair and piercing blue eyes and a beard and mustache made of actual fire was interrogating the furball but stopped immediately when we came in the room to glare at Toshinori, "Whe the hell are you here?"

"Wooahh! All Might is here, too! This must be pretty important to have the Top 3 pro heroes all called here!" a man with huge diamond shaped yellow sunglasses, yellow headphones, and weird little triangles under his eyes exclaimed before giving me a flirty grin, "And who is this cutie? Isn't she a bit young for you, All Might?"

I rolled my eyes at this. These two were already seriously grating on my nerves. It's too early for this crap. Just as I opened my mouth to say as much, the furball cut me off.

"All Might, Kaera-san! I'm so glad you both made it on time!" Nezu greeted kindly, "This is Endeavor, the number two pro hero, and Hawks, the number three pro hero. I invited them to have tea with us. I anticipate that they will be able to really help us with your situation." I glared at this, and the Endeavor guy seemed about as thrilled as I was.

"Look, Nezu-san, I really don't want to involve anyone else. There's nothing to handle. I've got it under control," I stated, trying to keep my voice steady as I felt my temperature rising.

"Relax, Kaera-san. I'm simply suggesting that these two can help you control your quirk. Which you clearly need help with since you seemed to be seconds away from melting my office," the principal responded, clearly not bothered by my increased hostility.

"This is a waste of my time. You invited the number one hero here. Why not have him train the insufferable brat?" Endeavor sneered.

My glare intensified at his obvious disdain for Toshinori. I felt the pain erupt from my back. I was trying really hard to suppress my quirk this time which seemed to, thankfully, be reducing the temperature of my flames as well as the size of my wings. Endeavor looked surprised for a moment before quickly returning his face to a scowl. Hawks just seemed entertained as he laughed.

"I see it now! Tell me, Kaera-chan, can you fly with those wings?" Hawks asked excitedly, coming towards me. I backed away nervously. I was gonna panic soon, and my quirk wasn't deactivating.

"Kaera," Toshinori's usually loud All Might voice bringing me out of my panic as I turned to see him smiling at me, "You can trust Endeavor and Hawks. They are fantastic heroes! There is no need to panic!"

"Don't patronize me, All Might!" Endeavor growled before turning his attention to me and yelling, "How old are you? Why the hell can you not control your quirk at your age?!" The temperature increased in the room as I got more agitated and upset.

"Listen here, Flame Face! I grew up in a country where suppress all evidence and information about quirks. My quirk did not surface until I watched a villain brutally murder my husband and daughter right in front of me," I seethed, " I was 22. I'm 27 now and have spent the past four and a half years suppressing my quirk. So do us all a favor and take your condescending attitude and shove it! Not everyone grew up with a silver spoon in their damn mouths!"

The room was silent. Toshinori's smile had started to look forced. Nezu had pity in his eyes, though he didn't seem surprised. Hawks and Endeavor stood frozen, an expression of shock on both of their faces. I took several deep breaths to try and calm down so I could deactivate my quirk. Silent tears rolled down my face as the burning on my back subsided slightly, a sure sign that my quirk had deactivated. What happened next shocked everyone in the room.

"Be at the Todoroki estate at 6AM sharp tomorrow. And don't eat before coming. Training will be hell, and don't expect me to take it easy on you just because you're friends with All Might," Endeavor stated in a fairly even, but irritated tone before walking out of the office.

"Well that was a surprise! Kaera-chan, come to Kyushu after you master your flames, and I'll teach you how to use your wings!" Hawks exclaimed happily as he waved bye to everyone before walking out as well. I just stood there in shock as Toshinori returned to his normal form with a puff of smoke, coughing up a bit of blood as he did so.

"What the actual fuck just happened?..." I asked out loud, turning my gaze towards Toshinori and Nezu.

"You just took the first step towards controlling your quirk," Nezu answered happily, sipping his tea, "Now you may want to go home and rest. It sounds like you have a big day tomorrow." I simply nodded and followed Toshinori out of the office, still in shock.

"Rose," he called out to me softly, and I turned my conflicted gaze to him. He gave me a reassuring smile before gently grabbing my hand and interlocking our fingers.

"Rose," Toshinori repeated his voice happier sounding yet still quiet enough not to startle me in my fragile state, "You were able to reign in your quirk on your own today. With Endeavor's help, I believe you'll be able to use it without hurting yourself as well. And I promise you, I will be by your side every step of the way." My emerald eyes raised to meet his electric blue ones, and I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding.

"Why, Toshinori?" I inquired, my voice soft and laced with vulnerability, "Why are you always by my side? It must be a burden to you." Toshinori gave me a soft and genuine smile as he reassuringly squeezed my hand gently.

"You are anything but a burden, Rose. I enjoy being by your side," he responded, his deep voice thick with such strong emotions that I couldn't quite pinpoint, "And as for why… That, my dear Rose, is a conversation for another time."


	12. Ch 11: Training Begins

-Kaera/Rose's POV-

"You're late," Endeavor's irritated growl was not even hinting at being tired.

_Seriously?_ I thought to myself, _It's too early for this crap…_

"It's 6:02. Those two minutes were from the ridiculously long walk from the front gate to here," I retorted, not wanting to fully argue with the guy, but also not wanting to let him intimidate me.

"I don't care about your excuses. It's time to start your training! You can start with twenty laps to and from the front gate!" Endeavor ordered. I swallowed back a growl as I jogged off.

After my laps were done, I immediately collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. Did I mention that I'm really out of shape? Because I am. Before, I could really catch my breath, a terrible pain erupted on my left arm, and I jumped to my feet, yelping in pain.

"Your instincts need work. Also, your body should be immune to flames with your quirk!" Endeavor barked. That's when I realized what had happened.

"Did you just shoot a fireball at me?!" I asked angrily, glaring up at the flame faced man who now had a small smirk on his face. Without warning, said man shot another fireball at me. This time, I managed to avoid it mostly, though it did slightly graze my right ankle.

"We're going to keep doing this until you either resist my flames or use your quirk to dodge them," Endeavor informed as he mercilessly shot another fireball at me, this time aiming straight for my face. I panicked, and my quirk activated on its own. With one of my wings, I batted the fireball back.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" I yelled as my staff materialized in front of me, and I grabbed it, once again burning my hand in the process, though it wasn't as painful as the previous time.

The only response I got was another fireball shot at me followed by Endeavor shooting himself into the fair and throwing a punch, hitting me square in the face. I let out a screech of pain as I heard a crack and felt hot blood spray from my nose. My screech was cut off by a punch to my stomach, causing me to spit up blood.

_This asshole is actually going to kill me!_ I thought as the air was once again knocked out of me as I landed hard on my back onto the ground.

"Endeavor! What the hell are you doing? She has no combat training or experience! You're going to kill her!" I heard a familiar voice boom, only for once it sounded legitimately….angry?

"T-Toshinori?" I mumbled, slowly opening my eyes to see him in his All Might form standing protectively in front of me, his usual smile barely there and obviously forced.

"All Might? Why are you here? I was put in charge of training the woman. You have no reason to be here!" I heard Endeavor bark back at him. A wet cough escaped me as blood spewed from my lips, catching All Might's attention. Instantly, he was kneeling beside me, lifting me up bridal style.

"Endeavor, she's had enough for today. She's got a broken nose, and she's coughing up blood. I'll bring her to resume training tomorrow," All Might stated firmly, his smile staying forced. By now, my quirk had deactivated on its own.

Frustrated with the situation and wanting to stand up for myself, I forcefully activated my quirk to just enough to summon my staff. Gritting my teeth, I reached out and grabbed it, shifting my weight out of All Might's arms, using my staff to help me stand up.

"H-hey, Flameface," I called out activating my wings as I looked up at him and wiped the blood from my nose and mouth, "We're not done yet, right? What kind of student would I be if I quit just because things got a little tough?" And with that, I launched myself at Endeavor, swinging my staff as hard as I could, which honestly wasn't very hard. Endeavor caught my attack with ease, and our eyes met. He gave me a smirk before releasing my staff and turning and walking away.

"That's enough for today. You cannot continue to train if you don't treat those injuries. You'll just pass out and be a useless waste of my time. Be back here tomorrow at 6am again," Endeavor said before turning and glaring at All Might, "All Might, get you and your little girlfriend the hell off of my property. And do NOT interrupt one of our training sessions again. This does not concern you."

And with that, Endeavor walked inside, and All Might came up beside me as my quirk deactivated. I felt myself begin to collapse as All Might caught me and picked me up into his arms once again. I sighed and rested my head on his chest as I took in his now familiar scent of aftershave and cedar.

"Rose," he called out, his low voice much quieter than usual for his hero form. I looked up to find his electric blue eyes staring into my emerald green ones. What I saw startled me: irritation.

"Why would you push yourself like that?! You could've gotten even more seriously hurt!" All Might scolded as he held me close and jumped into the air without warning, "Now, I am taking you to a hospital." I opened my mouth to protest as we landed in an alley, and All Might reverted to his normal form, looking pissed.

"Toshi-" I started, but he cut me off as he carried me out of the alley and towards the hospital next door.

"Rose, do not argue with me on this right now," Toshinori stated, his harsh tone, along with my fear of hospitals causing me to tear up and let out an involuntary whimper.

By now, we were in the hospital, and I was very close to a panic attack. Toshinori seemed to pick up on this and his gaze softened as he pulled me closer to him and pressed his forehead to mine, getting my attention.

"Rose," his low voice soft and caring once again, "You're going to be okay. I'll be right beside you the whole time." I glared at him and stayed silent as he took me to the front desk.

~Time Skip brought to you by my daughter trying to eat my notebook~

Long story short, I ended up having a broken nose and two broken ribs which were easily handled by a doctor with a healing quirk, though I had to be given a sedative for them to treat me. Regardless, I spent most of the glaring at Toshinori. After about two hours, I was released, the time being 2PM.

Toshinori and I walked in silence to our apartments. He kept stealing glances in my direction, while I kept my scowl focused on the road in front of me, clearly ignoring him. When we reached the apartments, I walked to my door without sparing Toshinoring a glance that is until he reached out and grabbed my wrist causing me to meet his concerned gaze with a hard stare.

"Rose, I'm sorry I snapped at you," he started, causing my gaze to soften ever so slightly, "It's just that you were hurt, and I was trying to protect you. But then you acted so recklessly and…" My gaze hardened once again as I wrenched my arm from his grasp.

"I was training, Toshinori! If I don't push myself, how the hell am I supposed to get stronger and control my quirk?" I demanded to know, anger evident in my voice, "Also, I don't recall asking you to protect me. It's not like I was being attacked by a villain. It was _training_ with the number two _hero_ that the head the head of the number one hero school in the country set up. I don't need you babying me!"

And with that, I walked into my apartment, slamming my door and locking it behind me as I slid to the ground, angry tears falling from my eyes. There was one thing I hated, it was being dependent on others. Also, who the hell did Toshinori think he was? I never claimed to want or need his help. The annoying part was, I had almost wanted to accept his help, and that infuriated me all the more.

I stood up with a new resolve to distance myself from the blonde hero. That way I could face this on my own, and for the first time in my life, I could become strong enough to protect others and myself.


	13. Ch 12: Moving Right Along

-Kaera/Rose's POV-

The next two months were hectic to say the least, but routinely so. I trained with Endeavor seven days a week. On school days, we trained from 5AM-7AM and on weekends, we would do 8 hour training sessions. It was hell, but the results spoke for themselves. I could now activate my quirk without burning myself, and my hand to hand combat was improving. My previously squishy and curvy body was becoming toned but still retained my curves.

Endeavor and I had started to grow closer as well. He told me I could call him Enji-san as long as we weren't in public, and I had gotten to meet his kids when I stayed late for training and had been invited to dinner. Fuyumi, his daughter and oldest child, did most of the talking while his two sons, Natsuo and Shoto, just glared at their father the whole time.

As usual, I found myself at the training grounds of the Todoroki estate; however, instead of the typical flame-faced man, I found myself being approached by his peppermint haired son. Shoto's heterochromic eyes stared at me with an intensity unbefitting a middle schooler.

"Tsukibara-san," the young boy greeted me with a bow. I smiled in response.

"Hey, Shoto-kun. Where's old Flame Face?" I asked looking around, half-expecting him to come charging at me to test my reflexes.

"Endeavor had hero work to do this morning, so I was sent in his place to test the heat of your flames," Shoto answered in a monotone. I looked at him in shock.

"I am NOT using my quirk on a child," I stated, shaking my head for emphasis, "Nope. Nuh-uh. Absolutely NOT." Shoto sighed at this.

"Tsukibara-san, what are you and my father?" the peppermint haired boy asked bluntly, "Are you his mistress?" At that question, I choked on my own spit before I started laughing hysterically.

"Hell no! Why would you even ask that, Shoto-kun?" I asked incredulously, "Your father was basically pushed into helping me train my quirk by the principal at U.A." Shoto nodded, his usually emotionless face showing a bit of relief and embarrassment, before he shot his ice at me and our training session began.

~Time Skip to 2PM and Kaera/Rose is back home~

Since our argument 2 months ago, I had avoided Toshinori like the plague. That was difficult at first, but I guess he eventually got the message. I didn't want to let someone that close to me again. So imagine my surprise when, after finishing my shower and sitting on my couch to relax, I was alerted by a knock at my door.

Confused, I got up and opened the door to see Toshinori in his normal form with a nervous smile on his gaunt face.

"Ah… Rose… I-I… Um…" Toshinori stumbled over his words as his face turned red before he took a deep breath and started again, "Rose, I wanted to ask you to come with me to an event that's tomorrow night… Please?..." He handed me a flyer that said the following:

_In Memory of Those We Have Loved and Lost_

_Paper Lantern Release for Victims of Villain Attacks_

_Date: November 5, 8PM_

_Musutafu City Park Pond_

_Note: Please bring a photo of your loved one(s)_

_Sponsored by All Might_

_Organized in Honor of Santosh and Isha Chandrudu_

My eyes widened and filled with hot tears as I read the final two lines. I covered my mouth which had fallen open in shock as I choked on a sob. Without thinking, I threw my arms around Toshinori's neck and sobbed into his chest. After a moment, Toshinori wrapped his skinny, but muscular arms around my waist and gently guided us into my apartment and quietly shut and locked the door with one arm before holding me close and leaning his head next to my ear.

"Rose… I'm so sorry for blaming you about the training with Endeavor," he said, his voice low, soft, and sweetly apologetic, "It's just that when I saw you hurt like that, I was so worried. I was angry at Endeavor, and I took it out on you. I'm so sorry. Please don't ignore me anymore."

His tone was heartbreaking, and I was already crying before. He had sponsored a night in memory of my late daughter and husband, two people he had never even met. And even as I was trying so hard to push him away these last couple of months, Toshinori had been thinking of me, his rude neighbor with massive trust issues.

"Y-you're forgiven," I whispered in between sobs as I cried into his chest, "I-I'm sorry I ignored you these past two montsh. I-I missed you, Toshi." After admitting that, I felt Toshinori's arms tighten around me, and I felt my face flush as he lifted his head from beside my ear and planted a gentle kiss on my forehead. I took a deep breath to try and steady myself as I was greeted with his comforting scent that I hadn't been around in nearly two month, and I found my breathing calming down as the sobs slowly ceased.

"I missed you too, Rose," he said, his warm lips still pressed against my head before moving his head back a bit. Toshinori grabbed my chin and gently tilted my gaze to face him.

"I'm sorry I planned the Memory Night without asking you first. It's just that I knew they were precious to you, and I wanted to do what I could to celebrate them as well," Toshinori said with a bright smile that caused my heart to melt.

"Thank you so much, Toshinori," I said softly with a soft smile of my own, "And I'd love to come with you tomorrow." A faint pink blush spread across his slightly tanned cheeks, and his electric blue eyes shined as he gave me a sweet, shy smile.

"It was my pleasure to set it up. My only hope is that it's worthy of their memory," Toshinori responded, before reluctantly pulling away, leaving me a bit confused, "I'm sorry, Rose, but I have to go on patrol for a bit. I just wanted to invite you and let you know to bring letters to both Isha-chan and Santosh-san. I'll explain why tomorrow." I nodded, and we said our goodbyes.

That afternoon and evening, I spent my time trying to figure out what to write to Santosh and Isha. Sighing, I decided to start with my late husband.

_Dear Santosh… _

… To Be Continued…


	14. Ch 13: All for Her

-Toshinori's POV-

I looked down at my watch. 730PM. I took a deep breath, straightened my navy blue and red yukata nervously, and tucked the picture of Nana Sensei into my yukata. Running a hand through my messy golden hair, I grabbed my essentials for leaving the apartment as well as the flowers I had gotten for the three lost between Rose and I as well as for Rose herself: 3 white lilies and 1 red carnation.

Call me a sap, but I chose those specific flowers for a reason. White lilies were customary for death and remembrance, and the red carnation represented admiration and pride. Rose had been through so much and had still managed to stand on her own two feet. The ginger haired woman had my complete admiration for that alone, and she was beautiful to boot.

After tonight, maybe in the next week or so, I wanted to ask her out on a date, but for tonight, I would push those thoughts and feelings to the back burner. Not that I was even sure the radiant emerald eyed woman would be interested in going on a date with a scarecrow looking, strength fading pro hero who was one wrong fight away from an early retirement. Anyways, tonight was about allowing Rose a chance to celebrate the lives of her late husband and daughter as well as hopefully heal a bit.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I knocked on Rose's door and felt my breath hitch and my face flush when Rose opened the door. She was dressed in what I could only guess was a traditional Indian dress. I think it's called a saree or something like that. Either way, the dress was navy blue with golden trim. Her long, curly ginger hair was pinned up elegantly to the side with a couple of loose strands framing her face. Her emerald eyes were lined with black, making them shine even more than usual, and her lips and cheeks were tinted a subtle pink. To put it plainly, the woman in front of me was absolutely breathtaking.

"Oh hey, Toshinori. I was just about to come and see if you were ready to go," Rose greeted with a shy, sweet smile, "Y-you look nice in your yukata." I felt my face heat up even more as I returned her shy smile with one of my own.

"Thanks, Rose," I replied switching to English to return the compliment, "_**You look stunning.**_" At this comment, her face flushed, and I felt myself relax a bit as she walked out of her apartment, locking the door behind her.

"_**Thank you**_," she responded in English before giggling and switching back to Japanese and commenting, "Toshinori, look! We match!" I smiled a much more relaxed smile feeling more confident at her positive attitude.

"Almost," I corrected as I took the red carnation I had brought for her and tucked it into her hair, "There. Now, we match." Her eyes widened in surprise before she relaxed and smiled. I held out my arm for Rose, and she hesitantly put her hand into the nook of my arm. We walked in a comfortable silence as we made our way to the Musutafu City Park.

~At the Event (Kaera/Rose's POV)~

"Wow…" was all I could say when we arrived at the event. It was sunset in Musutafu City Park, and the entire area around the pond was decorated with an arrangement of white flowers and lights. There were also several tables set up with square paper lantern boats.

There were at least 100 people around the huge pond already. Toshinori briefly excused himself and came back minutes later with three paper lantern boats.

"Did you bring the photos and letters for Santosh-san and Isha-chan?" Toshinori asked, his voice gently as I nodded, gripping the letters and photos and biting back tears. There were so many things I needed to say and face tonight, and I refused to spend the whole night crying.

"Rose, may I see the photos? I will help you set up the lantern boats," the blonde hero coaxed, as I handed him the photos nervously. The one for Isha was the one he had seen in my wallet of me holding her when she had been sick.

The one I had chosen of Santosh was him on our wedding day, well one of our wedding days. Specifically, it was of him on the day of our traditional American wedding. He was buttoning up his dark gray suit jacket and staring directly into the camera with an intense look in his eyes and one eyebrow raised. It was a photo I had always teased him about saying it made him look like he was trying to pose like some Bollywood hero or something.

Toshinori took both of the photos carefully and attached them to the outside of the lanterns using a bit of tape he had taken from one of the tables. Then, he took two of the white lilies he had been carrying and put them in the center of the lantern with the battery operated tea lights that were being used as a light source to avoid a major fire hazard. He did the same with the third lantern only I noticed he had attached a photo of Nana-san to it. What he did next definitely had a few tears falling from my eyes, and I was very thankful for choosing to use waterproof eyeliner tonight.

Toshinori took my hand and the three lantern boats and guided me to the edge of the pond. The scene at the park looked like a movie scene as the sun had fully set allowing the only light to be from the dozens of paper lantern boats floating across the pond. Several others were at different edges of the pond, bowing their heads and placing their hands together in a sort of a praying motion as they paid their respects to the loved ones they had lost.

When we reached the waters' edge, Toshinori first placed Nana's boat in the water as he and I both bowed in respect to the woman who had given him his quirk and had saved my life. Next, it was my turn to release Isha and Santosh's boats into the water. I decided to release Isha's first. I put the boat into the water and bowed in respect but was shocked when Toshinori came up beside me and bowed in respect as well.

Now I had to release Santosh's boat. This one seemed a little awkward with Toshinori with me since our relationship, whatever it was, at times seemed less than platonic. However, he did not seem at all bothered as I bowed in respect for my late husband, and Toshinori bowed deeply this time, showing even greater respect for a man he did not know. Then, to my utter surprise, Toshinori spoke while bowing.

"Santosh-san, I wanted to thank you for all that you did for Rose. She misses you and your daughter greatly. I'm sure watching over her these past years has been difficult for you. She has suffered tremendously and has done so entirely by herself," Toshinori started, his deep voice thick with emotion but carrying a great deal of respect at the same time, "Tonight, we celebrate your life as well as your daughters, and I can think of no better way to put you both at rest than to assure you that Rose will never be alone again-" I gasped in shock, tears flowing from my eyes "She is a precious and strong-willed woman who seems to never be afraid of facing things by herself; however, she will no longer have to. On my honor as a hero and as the Symbol of Peace, I swear that I will always be here for her in whatever way I can. Please rest in peace, Santosh-san."

With that, Toshinori lifted his head from his bow as our three paper lanterns floated into the sea of others that filled the pond. The beauty of the whole scene almost lost to me as tears blurred my vision. Unable to hold myself back, I ran to Toshinori and threw my arms around him. Almost immediately, his arms wrapped around me as well, holding me close to him as he stroked my head soothingly, being careful not to mess up my hair.

"W-why, Toshinori? Why would you do all of this?" I asked as tears fell down my face. The radiant blonde in front of me gently wiped my tears away with the sleeve of his yukata.

"Because they were precious to you. I remember you telling me you were taken away right after their funeral. It sounded like you were not given support or help much in terms of grieving or celebrating two people who were your everything," he replied, sincerity dripping from every word as his beautiful electric blue eyes filled with care and affection as he gently cupped my cheek, "You've faced so much by yourself, Rose. I want to do everything I can to be by your side and stop you from ever having to face hardships by yourself ever again."

That's when it hit me. This man, Toshinori Yagi, All Might, the Symbol of Peace, the number one hero. He did all of this, all for me.

There had been feelings I had been fighting with myself about for months now, and it was time for me to accept them. He had done all of this for me, so, just this once, _I would let my walls down_. Taking a deep breath, I reached a hand up behind his neck. _I would let someone see me vulnerable_. Closing my eyes, I tilted my head upward and moved my head upward. _I would give someone a chance to care for me_. Taking one more deep breath, I pressed my lips softly against Toshinori's and allowed myself to melt into his embrace. _I would allow myself to continue my story. All for him._


	15. Ch 14: Closure

-Kaera/Rose's POV-

My heart was in my throat as I pressed my lips firmly against Toshinori's. His thin lips were surprisingly soft and warm, but it was like he was frozen causing me to panic and start to pull away. Maybe I messed up. I definitely messed up; however, right as I was pulling away, he reached up and cupped both of my cheeks in his hands and his lips affectionately against mine. The gentleness and care in his kiss had my knees going weak, but fortunately, we parted right as my knees were getting ready to buckle.

I opened my emerald green eyes to shyly meet his electric blue ones. Wow. The man in front of me was legitimately radiant. He had a huge grin that lit up his whole face as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me away from the crowds to sit on a bench near the water's edge to watch the paper lantern boats. Toshinori sat down on the bench before gently tugging me to sit beside him, pulling me close to him as we watched in silence for a couple of minutes.

The November air was crisp and chilly, and I found myself snuggling into the blonde hero's side as we watched the beautiful scenery in front of us. There were so many families and friends here to celebrate their loved ones, and if you looked closely, you could see the healing happening from the comfort of knowing that others had gone through the same or similar things. Feeling warmed from the inside at the beautiful sight, I hadn't even noticed my apparent shivering as the temperature continued to drop.

"Rose," Toshinori murmured gently in my ear, "Let's go back to the apartments. It's getting pretty chilly out here, and I don't want you getting sick." My face flushed at his hot breath on my ear as I nodded taking the hand he offered me as he stood up, helping me up as well.

The walk back to the apartments was silent, almost uncomfortably so. Obviously, we needed to talk about what happened, but at the same time, I was on cloud nine from the whole night. I had almost forgotten about the letters tucked into my saree until we reached the apartments.

"Wait! Toshinori, why did you have me bring these letters?" I asked in confusion. His eyes widened and his face flushed in embarrassment.

"Dammit… I forgot to do this while we were at the park…" he muttered, clearly frustrated with himself as he scratched the back of his head for a second before his face lit back up, "Wait! We can still do it. I have an idea." His excitement was adorable, and I didn't hesitate to follow him into his apartment when he rushed in there himself. He ran over to the kitchen drawer and pulled out a lighter causing me to look at him in confusion.

"Pull out the letters," he instructed, and I did as I was told. He motioned for me to follow him, and I did so as he led me to the back of the apartment where he apparently had a balcony. No fair… But whatever. He led me out there and turned back towards me with a gentle smile.

"There's an old legend here in Japan that if you read a letter to someone who has passed and then burn it, the smoke will reach them along with your voice and message," Toshinori explained softly as he handed me the lighter, "It's supposed to allow them to better rest in peace. I can give you some time out here by yourself if you'd like some privacy to do so." His consideration for me once again had me overwhelmed as he began to go back inside. Not wanting him to leave, I reached out and grabbed his hand, looking up at him pleadingly.

"Please stay. I want you to be here. There's a lot I have to say, not just to them, but to you too," I admitted my voice uncharacteristically small. Toshinori's eyes softened even more as he wrapped an arm comfortingly around my shoulders and pulled me into his chest. Comforted by his warmth, I pulled out the two letters and read them aloud starting with Isha's.

_Dear Isha,_

_My sweet baby girl, words cannot express how much I miss you. Your sweet voice. Your sassy attitude. The way you drove me and your father absolutely crazy sometimes. I miss all of it, but I know you're in a place now where the pain and hardships of this world will forever be a mystery to you, and for that I am thankful. Now, I may not be able to see you again for a long time, but during that time, please take care of your father. You know the poor man can't even feed himself properly. Be sure to play a lot and learn lots of new Telugu words so you can confuse me when I try and talk to you and your dad. More than anything though, please be happy my sweet baby. I miss you more than words in any language can express. And remember that means a lot because your momma speaks six languages. I love you my little Isha. Goodbye._

_Love Mommy_

Tears flowed from my eyes as I finished reading the first letter aloud. Toshinori comforted me by rubbing small circles on my back and gently wiping my tears with the sleeve of his yukata. Putting the lighter down, I decided I wanted to send the smoke with my own fire. Focusing on my quirk, I managed to make a small white flame on my finger that lit up the paper, turning it to ash within ten seconds as I deactivated my quirk watching the smoke rise into the night sky. Next was Santosh's letter. This was the one Toshinori really needed to be here for, and I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the emotions I was afraid would overwhelm me.

_Dear Santosh,_

_It's taken me an entire afternoon to figure out how to write this damned letter to you because no matter what I came up with in my head, nothing seemed to come out right on the paper. These past years without you and Isha have been absolute hell. Your family has blamed me for you and Isha's passing, and to be honest, I don't think they're wrong. I should have been able to protect you both. If I didn't have this quirk, you guys wouldn't have been targeted. I am so sorry for all of this. _

_I've spent the last several years blaming and punishing myself for the deaths you two experienced. The panic attacks that I've always had have gotten much worse or at least they had. You see, something happened when I moved from my college town here in Japan to Musutafu City. My first day here, some skinny blonde guy insisted on helping me move into my apartment and did nothing but try and force his way into being my friend._

_At first, I thought this guy was an absolute moron. He talked highly of heroes and was so damn positive about absolutely everything. And this was just in the first 12 hours of meeting the guy. Well, as my luck would have, turns out my neighbor is actually the number 1 hero in all of Japan, and the woman who saved me from the villain that attacked us, was his mentor. Seriously, Santosh, I have no idea why my life feels like a damn drama at times. _

_Anyways, long story short, this optimistic blonde hero has managed to break down almost every wall that I have spent the last several years building up and reinforcing. And he did it without me even realizing it. Maybe what I'm feeling now is unforgivable, but I wanted to let you know. This man's name is Toshinori Yagi, and I've completely fallen for him._

_I will always love you, Santosh, and treasure the time we had together. Even the fights… Well maybe not the fights as much. Some of those got pretty bad. Either way, I am beyond thankful for the time we had together. I miss you, but I wanted you to take comfort in knowing that I am no longer fighting alone anymore. I know that is something you always hated when I did. I hope you approve of him, and I hope you can forgive me. I will love you always._

_Love,_

_Rose_

As I read the last two paragraphs aloud, tears flowed freely from my eyes, and I once again used my quirk to set the letter aflame, releasing the paper as a gust of wind blew through and the paper disintegrated into smoke and dust. As soon as I finished, Toshinori pulled me back inside where it was warm and pulled me into a deep kiss that took my breath away.

Kissing back with just as much emotion and passion as he did, we continued as he shyly ran his tongue against my lips, asking for permission, which I gladly gave. His hands wrapped snugly around my waist as I reached up, cupping his cheeks lovingly before we eventually had to part for air; however, Toshinori didn't let me get far as he placed his forehead affectionately against mine.

"Rose," he said, his deep voice thick with emotion as he pulled away enough to meet my eyes, "I'm not sure what I did to deserve you feeling this way for me, but I cannot tell you happy I am to know this. Will you be mine?" The way he asked was so sweet, and, frankly, adorable that I couldn't help but stand on my tiptoes and place a gentle kiss on his nose.

"What do you think, Toshi?" I answered with a sweet smile before giving a real answer, "Of course, I'll be yours. Just… be patient with me okay? It's been awhile since I've done this whole relationship thing." With that comment, I rubbed the back of my head nervously like he had done earlier causing him to chuckle and the mood to lighten a bit.

"It's okay. Me too," he admitted sheepishly, "Being the Symbol of Peace hasn't exactly given me lots of time to date, especially when I was sure no one would want to be with me in this form." At that comment, I frowned and took his face in my hands making him turn his eyes to look at me in confusion.

"Shut up," I said firmly, back to my normal blunt self, "There is nothing wrong with you in this form. This is you, and frankly, you're attractive. Your personality is fucking radiant if you just let people see it, so don't talk down about yourself." At this, he grinned and laughed happily pulling me into his arms.

"Thanks, Rose," he chuckled, "So that being said, I was wondering if this beautiful woman in my arms would be interested in going to dinner with me tomorrow." My face flushed at this as I pushed myself out of his arms and crossed my own trying to look irritated and hide my flustered expression. Damn cheesy hero.

"Only if the hero man in front of me picks me up from work again," I muttered irritably, wanting to hide my blushing face and also fix the problem that has been me missing him picking me up from work the past couple of months. His smile was radiant as he pulled me in for another hug kissing me on the cheek sweetly.

"It's a date."

Song: All About Us by He is We and Owl City


	16. Ch 15: Enji-Nii Does NOT Approve

-Kaera/Rose's POV-

"Hey, woman! Get a move on!" Endeavor yelled as he shot another fireball at me as I continued running from him, "What the hell has you so distracted?!" Oh I'm sorry. Wouldn't you be distracted after starting a relationship after losing a husband and daughter? No? What the hell? I sighed.

"Sorry, Enji-nii," I teased as I picked up the pace before activating my quirk and batting his fireball away with one of my wings, "I've got a lot on my mind." His face turned a bit red as he stopped and scowled at me, though I've accepted that that is just his face.

"...Why did you call me that?" the large man asked, his voice less harsh than usual as I raised an eyebrow at him, causing him to glare and yell, "I mean what the hell? I asked you a question dammit." I chuckled at this.

"Because, honestly, you're the closest thing I've had to family since getting separated from my family back in the U.S. after my quirk showed up and Santosh and Isha were killed," I admittedly honestly, "You've also provided me guidance on my quirk, granted that's been against your will. Either way, I appreciate it. If you don't like it, I can switch back to Flame Face if you'd prefer." I smirked as I teased him with my last comment and he growled in response.

"... nii-san is fine…" he muttered, flustered a bit by my honesty causing me to smile. Endeavor has definitely made some asshole decisions in his life, but I don't think he's all bad. "Now what the hell has you so distracted? A new boyfriend or something." Now it was my turn to get flustered even though he was joking, he was actually right on the money.

"Maaaayyyybeeeeeee…." I admitted looking to the side, and I felt the air get noticeably hotter causing me to look up to see Enji quite irritated looking. Man, he got into that older brother roll pretty quick.

"Who is it?" he demanded, and I laughed nervously backing up with my hands in front of me defensively.

"Now now Enji-nii, I think you're getting into the spirit of this older brother thing a bit quickly," I teased nervously, trying to lighten the mood.

"Kaera!" he demanded causing me to shout back.

"If you're gonna be my older brother, you should at least call me by my real name! It's Rose. Kaera is what I used to keep anyone from the U.S. to find me!"

"Quit avoiding the topic then, Rose! Tell me who it is!"

"I don't wanna!"

"Rose! Now! Or you're gonna have to do an extra 30 laps!"

"But then I'll be late for work!"

"Then you had best fucking tell me then!"

"Fine! I'm dating All Might!" I finally admitted causing Endeavor to erupt and I dodged the expected fireball.

"You're dating that over positive moron?!" Enji yelled angrily. I glared at him and hit him in the back of the head with my staff.

"Look, Enji-nii, just because he's your rival doesn't mean I'm involved with all that bullshit. I'm literally learning how to use my quirk because I want to live a normal life without fear of it. Y'all's pointless rivalries about hero rankings has nothing to do with me. I met him when he was off duty and started liking him before I knew anything about him being the symbol of peace or whatever. So relax! It's not like I'm gonna bring him here!" I ranted irritatedly, "To me, he's just him. The only thing I care about his hero stuff is that I don't want him getting hurt. Same with yours. As long as both of you are alive and well, I don't care." The flaming hero seemed shocked by my irritated rate and obvious disregard for heroes and their rankings before muttering a small, "fine."

"But if he does anything to hurt you and I have to hear about him all the damn time, I'm burning him to a crisp," he warned, and I laughed as I deactivated my quirk.

"Now that wasn't very hero like, Nii-san! What a bad influence you're being to your new imouto-chan," I teased with a loud laugh as I once again dodged another fireball. He just shook his head at me.

"I'm guessing this is not public information," Enji said seriously and I nodded, "Good. Because the last thing you need right now is a target on your back… Be careful alright? Now go before you're late to work." I looked at the time. 715AM. Shit. I still have to get home and take a shower.

"There's a driver waiting for you at the gate to take you home. I'll see you tomorrow, and remember not to bring that idiot boyfriend of yours here," Enji warned before growling threateningly, "And do NOT be late." I nodded and waved goodbye as I sprinted to where the driver was waiting for me.

~Time Skip brought to you by my obsession with the idea of big brother Endeavor~

"DEKU! YOU DAMN NERD!" was the lovely sound I was welcomed to as I came into my classroom, followed by the sounds of explosions. I sighed and rubbed my temples. It was too early for this shit.

"_**BAKUGO KATSUKI! SIT YOUR ASS IN YOUR SEAT NOW!**_" I yelled angrily in English knowing full well that he was one of the only students who would understand what I said. He clicked his tongue and glared at me but did as he was told. I nodded at Midoriya who was currently shaking at his desk. My heart went out to the kid. I couldn't stand bullies.

Shaking my head, I started taking attendance before starting the day's lesson just waiting for work to be over…

~Lunch Time~

I sighed as I walked into the teacher's lounge with a massive headache. To my surprise, there was a small but bright bouquet of red carnations on my desk in the teacher's lounge. I smiled and texted the only person I knew would have sent me flowers, also, the All Might paper they were wrapped in was a dead giveaway.

_Me: Thanks for the flowers, Toshi! :)_

_Toshi: I'm glad you like them!_

_Toshi: Are we still good to go for dinner tonight?_

_Me: Of course! Why wouldn't we be?_

_Toshi: I was just making sure you hadn't changed your mind is all._

_Me: No way! You can't get rid of me that easily ;)_

_Toshi: Wouldn't dream of it 3_

I smiled to myself and tried to think of ways to try and boost the poor man's confidence. Toshinori was an amazing man, but I guess due to his weakened state, he felt quite insecure. The thought made my smile change slightly. It wasn't fair.

"What's with that smile, Kaera-chaan? Got a hot date tonight?" Kurosawa teased with a wink, "Cause if not, you totally could. I'm available for dinner." I rolled my eyes at him before suddenly getting an idea.

"Actually yes, I do!" I answered matter-of-factly, "In fact, my boyfriend is picking me up from work today." That caused Kurosawa's eyes to narrow as if questioning whether I was bullshitting or not before smirking.

"Oh really? I would love to meet him," he challenged, and I nodded immediately.

"Of course! No problem," I responded as the lunch bell rang, "Welp. I've got a class to teach. Later."

~Time Skip to End of the School Day~

I was currently outside the school waiting on Toshinori to pick me up. He had texted me during my second to last class of the day telling me he had already used up his hero form time for the day today. That meant he wasn't going to be able to get distracted with heroing on his way to pick me up which I was honestly grateful for. Kurosawa and a couple of the other teachers were waiting around, curious as to just who the abrasive teacher that never let anyone get close to her had claimed to be in a relationship with.

When Toshinori's familiar black sedan pulled up, I had to stop myself from grinning like a damned lovesick teenager. I walked up to the car followed by my coworkers who were trailing a bit behind me. Toshinori opened the door and got out to greet me, glancing nervously at the teachers behind me but maintaining his typical smile.

"Hey!" I greeted him with a smile and a hug, causing gasps from the teachers behind me. Toshinori even froze in shock for a second before returning my hug a bit stiffly.

"Hey," he greeted sweetly in return, relaxing a bit as he placed a soft kiss on the top of my head.

"What the hell? You're dating, Scarecrow-Oji-san?" Kurosawa exclaimed behind me, earning snickers from the other teachers, and I felt Toshinori stiffen and his smile became more forced. I pulled back from my comfortable place in Toshinori's arms to glare at the idiot who was making a racket.

"Kurosawa, I think you're just jealous because he's actually able to get a girlfriend, unlike you," I yelled back irritatedly, "By the way, just because we teach middle schoolers doesn't mean we should act like them. Now grow up, and leave us alone." With that I grabbed Toshinori's hand and dragged him back to the car. After we both got in, he had a death grip on the steering wheel and his smile faltered.

"Rose… I'm sorry about that," he apologized after some time, his voice sounding strained, "Your colleagues are ridiculing you because of me." We had arrived outside of a cute little family restaurant and were currently parked. I grabbed his hands that were in his lap causing him to look at me. His expression was heartbreaking and clearly upset. It didn't suit him one bit. I reached up and kissed him gently on the lips.

"Toshi, clearly my colleagues are morons. I'm with you because I know you're an amazing person, and by some stroke of luck, you want to be with me, so ignore them," I stated with a reassuring smile of my own as I reached up, cupping his cheek with my hand and stroking it comfortingly with my thumb. This caused him to turn towards me with a small smile of his own before grabbing my face with both of his big, warm hands and pulling me in for a sweet kiss before pulling away with a huge smile that was damn near blinding.

"Now come on. I have a date with this beautiful woman, and I really don't want to keep her waiting anymore," he teased with a wink causing my face to flush a bit as he got out of the car and quickly came around to my side, opening the door for me like a gentleman.

~Time Skip to After Dinner Brought to You by my daughter learning how to say the word yayyyyy~

We had reached the apartments and were currently standing outside our two apartments before I decided to ask him something.

"Toshi," I called nervously causing him to look up from where he was placing his key inside his door, "Do you um… want to come over and maybe watch a movie or something?"

He looked at me and smiled warmly, nodding as he removed his key and came inside my apartment. After removing our shoes, we both sat on the couch, him a space over from me, obviously not wanting to push me too much. I smiled at this. This man was way too damn thoughtful sometimes. I scooted over next to him leaning on his shoulder trying to encourage him a bit. He took the hint and laid down too, holding me from behind.

"Are you comfortable, Rose?" Toshinori asked nervously. For being the symbol of peace and number one hero with a crap ton of fangirls and stuff, he really didn't seem used to any kind of relationship stuff. Little did he know, despite my blunt exterior and such, I'm a sucker for cuddling. This being said, I rolled over till I was facing him and hugged him burying my face into his chest.

"Very," I mumbled, comforted by his warm cedar scent. His chest rumbled as he chuckled and pulled me into him and pressed his lips to my forehead.

"Toshinori," I mumbled moving my face to the crook of his shoulder and neck, my warm breath causing him to shutter a bit as he hummed in response, "I'm sleepy." He chuckled again before pulling me back a bit so he could look at me.

"Do I need to go home and let you sleep?" he asked, his blue eyes looking a bit disappointed but understanding nonetheless. I shook my head and felt my face flush as I hugged him tightly.

"Please stay," I begged, my voice barely audible, but the tightening of Toshinori's thin but muscular arms around my waist confirmed that he had in fact heard me.

"Of course. I'll always be here when you need me," he murmured sweetly as he stroked my hair. In seconds, I was asleep in the arms of the man who made me feel safer than I ever had.

Song: This Feeling by The Chainsmokers


	17. Ch 16: Sick Day

"Rose… Rose… Wake up, dear… You're going to be late for training with Endeavor," I heard a deep, gentle voice encouraging me to wake up. My eyes shot open at the last statement. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes in a slight panic, losing both of my contacts in the process and swearing under my breath. Within seconds, my large, black plastic rounded square rim glasses were gently placed on my face, and I opened my eyes to see that Toshinori and I were both cuddled up in my bed.

My face flushed, but I let out a small breath of relief as I noted that we were both still fully clothed. Then, I happened to glance at the clock on my nightstand. It was 4:45AM. Shit! There was now way I was going to make it to Enji-nii's on time. I jumped out of bed and almost fell over from the headrush that I assumed was just from standing up to fast and threw on my workout clothes while I was in the bathroom. Even after getting dressed, I still felt lightheaded and I cursed again.

"I don't have time for this shit!" I scolded myself as I came out of the room and stumbled into Toshinori as I muttered, "Enji-nii-san is gonna kill me…" Toshinori chuckled nervously at the nickname I had for Endeavor before placing the back of his hand to my forehead in slight concern.

A dreamy sigh involuntarily escaped my lips at the relief from his cool touch. Wait… Toshinori's hands are never cold!...

"Rose, dear, get back in bed. You're running a bad fever. You can't train in this condition," Toshinori stated, his voice laced with concern as he guided me back to my bed and carefully leaning me back into my pillows before picking up my phone and looking at me, a worried frown etched into his usually joyous and radiant features.

"Now, am I calling Endeavor, or would you like to?" he inquired gently as he placed a soft kiss on my forehead.

"I should do it. Not to be rude, but Enji-nii-san hates your guts and was not happy about us dating," I mumbled the last part, but Toshinori heard me and froze nervously, "Don't worry, Toshi. I never refer to you by your real name around him. Your secret is safe with me."

He nodded with a nervous smile before handing me my phone and going into the bathroom. I sighed to myself as I pressed and held the 2 button, calling Enji-nii who was number 2 on my speed dial list. Ironically enough, Toshinori was number 1. Anyways, the first ring had not even finished when the phone was answered by a clearly irritated Endeavor.

"You're late! Where the hell are you? I swear if you say you're with that over-positive, blonde moron-!" Endeavor started his angry rant immediately, but stopped when I let out a particularly nasty set of coughs.

"Sorry, Nii-san. I'm really sick and could barely get around my apartment this morning without falling over," I admitted guiltily before going into another coughing fit, ending it with a whimper at the sharp pain in my throat. There was an irritated, though less than usual, sigh on the other end of the line.

"Listen. Is that oaf with you right now?" the flame hero demanded to know, his voice irritated but noticeably softer than before. Right as he asked that, said 'oaf' came out of the restroom with a cold, damp cloth that he sweetly placed on my hot forehead. I sighed inaudibly in relief from the cool cloth and handed Toshinori the phone, which he looked at in confusion before hesitantly putting it to his ear.

"Hello?" Toshinori greeted. After that I found myself fading from consciousness, too tired to hear what was going on around me.

~Time Skip brought to you by Author-chan being sick while writing this chapter~

"Her fever is at 104 F. I'm going to need to give her an injection to bring it down quickly to a safe level," I heard an unfamiliar voice saying, causing my eyes to shoot open and a whimper to leave my lips in a panic.

Looking around, I saw Toshinori in his All Might form and Enji-nii-san in his hero costume. There was also a man in a white lab coat with thin rimmed glasses, silver hair, and a white lab coat, who I could only assume was a doctor, who had a syringe near me, causing me to go into a near panic attack as I started hyperventilating. Within seconds, All Might was crouched beside me, gently stroking my hair as he tried to calm me down.

"Rose, sweetheart, listen. Your fever is too high, and it's not safe for it to stay that way," he murmured sweetly, just low enough for me to hear, "You need the injection so it can come down to a safe level quickly. I know you're scared of the needle, Endeavor and I will be right here alright? Do you trust us?" Looking up, I met Toshi's concerned electric blue eyes before nodding nervously causing him to breathe a small sigh of relief, "Thank you, Rose. Just focus on me. It'll be over quickly." With that, he looked at the doctor and nodded in confirmation that he was good to give me the injection.

Toshinori grabbed my hand and held it firmly as the doctor gave me the injection. The panic and the burning sensation from the needle piercing my skin and the medicine being pushed into my bloodstream caused me to let out another whimper, causing Endeavor to let out a growl in warning at the doctor. After that, the doctor left some medications on my nightstand with some instructions before taking his leave. Within minutes, I was feeling some definite relief from the injection, not that I would admit that the injection was a good idea.

"Enji-nii, why are you here?" I asked weakly, and he scoffed at me.

"You decided on your own that I was your older brother, and you didn't think I'd check on you when you were sick? Plus, I had to make sure you weren't faking it in order to skip training," he responded gruffly, though I was pretty sure he just added that last part so he still seemed tough. This all caused me to laugh a bit which unfortunately led to another painful coughing fit.

"Don't just stand there, you oaf! Get her some water so she can take her medicine!" I heard Endeavor yell at Toshinori which pissed me off. As soon as Toshi left the room, I slowly sat up, glaring at the flame-faced hero.

"Nii-san, if you're going to be an asshole to him, you need to leave," I scolded angrily, taking a deep breath, "You both care about me, and he did nothing to deserve you talking to him like that. So knock it off!" Enji looked at me in shock before sighing.

"Fine. I need to go anyways," he stated, heading to the door, "By the way, Shoto and Fuyumi will be by later because your oaf of a boyfriend has patrol." And with that, he turned and left, right as Toshinori returned to the room with a glass of water.

Noticing that Endeavor had left, he handed me the glass of water before deflating to his normal form and coughing up blood. After wiping up and washing the blood off of his mouth and hand, he came back to me handing me a couple of pills.

"I'm sorry Toshinori. Enji-nii was a total jerk to you, and you had to waste time in your hero form for me," I apologized with a deep frown, feeling incredibly guilty. For someone who always strived and prided myself on being independent, I sure was causing a lot of inconvenience for the people I cared for most.

A kiss on my nose snapped me out of my thoughts as I focused instead on the radiant blonde hero in front of me. He had on his usual bright smile smile as he encouraged me to take the medications the doctor had left for me. Making sure to add my anxiety medications to the mix, I quickly downed the three pills before laying down and quickly falling back asleep.

~Time Skip brought to you by the fabulousness that is Todrick Hall~

"Aunt Kaera, wake up… We brought you some rice porridge," I woke up to hearing Fuyumi talking to me. Opening my eyes, I looked over to see Fuyumi and Shoto. I couldn't help but smile at being called 'Aunt' as I slowly sat up with a slight cough.

"Thanks, Fuyumi, Shoto," I said with a smile which only Fuyumi returned. Shoto just walked up and placed his right hand on my forehead and frowned deeper.

"Aunt Kaera, you still have a fever," he stated as I felt his hand cool down, and I sighed in relief. The two stayed for a while, making sure I took my medications and ate some of the rice porridge. After a while, Fuyumi left to go home and fix dinner for the Todoroki household, leaving Shoto to keep an eye on me despite my protests that I was fine.

"Hey, Aunt Kaera," Shoto called after a while as I hummed in response, "Has my father ever told you about our mom?" I looked at him in confusion and shook my head. He hummed in response before turning his attention to the photo on my nightstand. It was one of me and Santosh with Isha on his shoulders. The photo had captured all three of us mid laughter.

"Who are the other two in this photo?" he asked curiously, and I gave him a sad smile.

"That's my husband, Santosh, and my daughter, Isha. They were killed in a villain attack several years back, when I still lived in the U.S.," I answered honestly, causing Shoto to look at me with a mix of shock and regret.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up something so upsetting," he apologized, causing me to chuckle as I reached up and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"It's no problem!" I comforted with a bright and sincere smile, "Sure, I miss them both a lot, but I choose to focus on living each day to the fullest for them both." I giggled a bit when I saw a small smile appear on the usually stoic teen's face, and I couldn't help but pull him into a hug.

"You're a really great kid, Shoto!" I said happily, "Thanks for accepting me into y'all's family!"

" 'S nothing…" I heard him mutter in response, and I smiled to myself as he awkwardly returned my hug.

Song: Sick Boy by The Chainsmokers

**A/N:**

**The next chapter or three will end up with some pretty large time skips, just hitting the high points/events to get to where the official story of the anime starts. I have lots of ideas for that so just letting y'all know! Thanks again to everyone who has been supporting and reading this story! :) It means so much to me! :) 3**


	18. Ch 17: A Banquet to Remember

-TIME SKIP (3 Months- February)-

Sighing to myself, I managed to tame my usually frizzy wavy hair into some loose curls that now just reached my shoulder blades. Glancing back nervously, I eyed the form fitting dark blue formal dress that was sitting on my bed. Toshinori had surprised me with it when he picked me up from work this afternoon along with a pair of silver stiletto heels. My eyebrows had nearly lifted off my face when he had presented me with them, admitting nervously that there was a banquet for pro heroes tonight, and he had wanted me to be his date. It was sweet but unexpected. So far, only Enji-nii-san and Toshinori's best friend, Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa, knew about our relationship at least in knowing that Toshinori was All Might.

I carefully lined my eyes with black liner and put on a layer of mascara to allow myself to look a bit more dressed up and put together. I finished off with a terracotta red lipstick and some pale neutral rose pink blush to try and bring a little bit of life into my pale complexion. After that, I nervously put on the dress. It was off the shoulders with a straight across neckline, a slit that went up to about mid thigh and was a mermaid style. Looking at myself in the mirror, a small smile graced my lips. Yes, it showed more than I usually did, including a tattoo that I had on my midthigh, well at least half of it. Toshinori hadn't seen it yet, but it was a black watercolor style tattoo of a flower and stem with several leaves coming off of it.

Next thing I know, I hear a knock on the door. Grabbing my heels to put on at the door, I ran to and opened the front door to see Toshinori in his hero form in a navy blue suit that matched my dress, a white dress shirt and a simple silver tie. My face flushed a bit. Although I preferred him in his normal form, I couldn't deny that his hero form was attractive as well. After all, it was still a part of him, and I loved every part of him.

That's right. I am in love with this man, but I haven't told him yet. Part of me was still afraid that he would end up running away, not that I'd blame him. I'm still a bit of a basket case. The cuddling and stuff has been great, but we still haven't slept together after almost 4 months together, and not that there's anything wrong with that… It's just that I feel bad, and the worst part is Toshinori has been a perfect freaking gentleman about everything.

"Wow, Rose…" Toshinori breathed, his jaw dropping slightly as his face flushed slightly, "You look absolutely gorgeous!" My face flushed in return as I looked down shyly and bent down to put on my heels, causing the slit to move slightly, showing part of my tattoo. "Nice tattoo!" I looked up and saw Toshinori with his signature smile on his face as he held his hand out to me.

"Thanks, Toshinori… You look really nice too," I replied with a shy smile as I looked up at his towering 7ft 2in frame and put my hand in his, "And yeah. I got it to cover some of my stretch marks from when I had Isha." Toshinori squeezed my hand lightly as he leaned down and spoke gently in my ear.

"You shouldn't hide those, dear. I'm sure you're just as gorgeous with them as you were before," he said sweetly, and I felt my heart flutter. I hadn't been self conscious about my stretch marks with Santosh because well they were half his fault, but Toshinori had never been married to my knowledge or had any kids. Not to mention, he was the number one hero and had girls falling all over him all the time I'm sure.

"You're too sweet for me," I muttered, embarrassed, "Let's just get this over with so a bunch of people can talk about how you could do better at this damn banquet." Though my eyes were trained on the ground, I could practically feel Toshinori's frown at my last comment.

"Let them try. I guarantee that you'll be the most beautiful woman there," he encouraged, his voice sincere. Remind me to have him get his eyes checked later. With that, I allowed Toshinori to lead me towards his car and drive us to the banquet which just happened to be at U.A.

~At U.A.~

Toshinori led me through the doors at the banquet hall at U.A., and I immediately felt an entire room of eyes staring straight at us. I felt my anxiety spike and a small flame sparked from my fingertips as I took deep breaths to calm down. My anxiety calmed a little bit as I felt the temperature increase causing me to look up to see Enji-nii-san in a sleek black suit with a black bowtie. By his side was Fuyumi in a pretty simple long light blue dress with spaghetti straps and a very irritated looking Shoto with a black suit that matched his father's but with a light blue bowtie that matched Fuyumi's dress.

"Nii-san! Fuyumi! Shoto!" I greeted happily, causing gasps throughout the room which were quickly silenced by Enji's angry glare and his flaming facial hair to grow much larger in his irritation.

"Aunt Kaera! The dress looks great on you!" Fuyumi exclaimed happily, "I'm glad it fits you correctly!" I gave her a questioning look.

"Oh, father told me that you needed a dress for this and I picked yours out at the same time that I picked out mine! I had no idea you were coming with All Might though!" she said happily, and I side eyed Toshinori.

"Just how long have you been planning this?" I questioned with an eyebrow raised as Toshinori gave a nervous but boisterous laugh.

"Ahhh… Well I found out a couple of weeks back, but honestly, after I asked for Endeavor's help, I kind of forgot to tell you…" All Might admitted, nervously scratching the back of his head. Endeavor scoffed at this, and Shoto just stared at us in shock as I glared half-heartedly at my massive boyfriend before sighing.

"Whatever… Let's just get tonight over with… I hate being social…" I muttered as I saw Shoto give a small smirk at this. He could totally relate.

With that, All Might led me around and introduced me to a couple of different heroes that were now teachers at U.A., and we went and greeted a couple of somewhat familiar faces including the hobo and the walking speaker which I was reminded once again were named Aizawa Shouta and Yamada Hizashi.

"Why are you even here?" the angry hobo that is Aizawa questioned tiredly. I shrugged and motioned to All Might who was currently talking to the little furball known as Principal Nezu.

"My boyfriend dragged me along. You?" I asked, showing my annoyance at the large crowd as I saw the dark man beside me smirk ever so slightly.

"Honestly… Same…" he answered honestly, and I turned and smirked as I saw his gaze soften on Yamada who was currently walking over with drinks in both hands.

"Y'all are cute," I told him with a smile, letting my southern accent through a bit, "Looks like we got off on the wrong foot. My name is officially Tsukibara Kaera, but you guys can call me Rose." He looked at me inquisitively as Yamada joined us.

"Oh yeah! You're that girl that was in a villain attack back in the U.S. around 6 years ago," Yamada acknowledged with a small frown on his face, "I thought I recognized you from the report I had read, but the name didn't match up." I nodded with a small frown on my face.

"Yeah… That was a rough time… The U.S. didn't allow quirks at the time, so I was forced to leave the U.S. and change my name. I would have been put in a maximum security prison if Japan had not allowed me to defect to here," I admitted honestly, and I saw the two look at me with a shocked expression at not just the information I just shared with them, but nonchalance when speaking about the subject. Right as it looked like Aizawa was going to say something, there was a throat cleared from behind me. I turned to see my boyfriend looking at me with a concerned smile on his face, which told me he 100% heard at least part of that conversation.

"Sorry to interrupt," All Might said with a big smile as he held out his hand, "But I was wanting to get at least one dance with my beautiful date tonight." At that moment, I noticed all the couples dancing a slow waltz on the dancefloor and my face flushed a deep red. If there is one thing that is an indisputable fact about me, it was that I cannot dance to save my life. My coordination is at an absolute zero. Still, the hopeful look on Toshinori's radiant face was pretty much impossible to say no to.

"Fine… But I can't dance to save my life," I muttered nervously causing All Might to chuckle as he picked me up in a tight hug as he pulled me to the dance floor and put his hands on my hips and lifted me to where my feet were on top of his, making me blush.

"Have no fear, for I am here," All Might said sweetly as I looked up at him in a low voice that only I could hear, causing me to blush and laugh at his way of using his famous line to cheer me up. I smiled brightly up at him as he led me through one very simple slow dance and then another, before we were interrupted by a familiar flame-faced hero.

"You can't monopolize my sister here the whole time. I'm going to have this dance," Enji-nii-san said gruffly, causing me to giggle as All Might smiled awkwardly and let me go to dance with the grumpy hero in front of us.

"Ya know, Nii-san, if you wanted a dance, you could've just asked instead of being rude to All Might," I pointed out with a slight scowl at his attitude towards Toshinori, but it wasn't harsh more teasing than anything else.

"Whatever… No one has caused you any problems here right?" he asked, struggling to show concern, something he clearly wasn't used to, as he led me through a very simple slow dance, only flinching slightly when I stepped on his feet a lot, "You really suck at dancing… We should get you lessons." I looked at him inquisitively.

"Why? I don't particularly enjoy dancing, Nii-san. I'm only out here because All Might wanted to dance," I pointed out bluntly causing him to scoff and give me his signature scowl.

"You think this will be the last one of these things you have to go to. You're dating the Symbol of Peace. You'll be expected to go to many more of these things, and you think he won't want to dance with you again? Plus, since you decided to call me Nii-san in front of the whole banquet when you entered, I can't allow you to embarrass the Todoroki name with such abysmal displays of a basic skill," the flame-faced hero explained irritatedly, "Since your fire control is getting much better, we will take one day a week of our training to focus on teaching you skills that you'll need if you're going to represent me as a younger sibling."

This took me aback. Did Enji-nii-san see me as an embarrassment?... I felt my eyes start to sting as tears started to fill my eyes.

"A-am I really an embarrassment to you, Endeavor-san?" I asked sadly, fighting my tears back and looking at him. It may seem like I'm being sensitive, but I thought I had found a family after so long of being completely alone. He glared in response.

"That's not what I said, but you should have thought twice before putting your name and face on my reputation before you were ready for the task. Same with All Might's. Granted if you screwed up his reputation, it would have been no skin off of my back; however, now if you screw up it will reflect on me as well," he answered roughly as we stopped dancing and his scowl intensified, "And you're not exactly stable most of the time."

That hurt… At that comment, I backed away from him slowly but nervously, almost tripping in my heels as my sight blurred from the tears in my eyes. Without thinking, I turned and ran out of the ballroom, allowing my wings to form as soon as I got outside, using them to fly to my apartment building before deactivating them, running into my apartment, and letting the tears fall.

Enji-nii, no, Endeavor was right. I wasn't stable. I was broken and screwed up human being that would just end up being a burden to him and to Toshinori. It wasn't fair to burden them and risk their reputations because of my selfish want to be around them. At that thought, I broke into heart wrenching sobs until a low, concerned voice broke through my mental panic.

"Rose… Sweetheart, what happened? What's wrong?" Toshinori asked as I looked up at him, my face no doubt streaked with mascara and eyeliner as I saw that he had reverted to his normal form. He took one glance at my expression and pulled me into a warm and loving hug as he rubbed soothing circles on my back as he pulled me into his lap on my bed. I buried my face into his chest and soaked in his warmth and comforting scent, not able to calm my sobs until he grasped my chin gently lifting my face to meet his gaze, "Rose, I heard what Endeavor said to you." My sobs stopped as my breath hitched, and I tried to avoid his gaze.

"Dear, look at me," Toshinori requested gently as he soothingly rubbed my cheek with his thumb causing me to look into his electric blue eyes which were filled with concern and a bit of anger, though it was clearly not directed at me, "Endeavor had no right to say that to you. You are not an embarrassment or a risk of being one to me. You're an amazing woman, and I was so proud to have you by my side tonight. My only regret was that I let you leave my side and had to hear him say those terrible things."

"He's right, Toshinori… I am unstable. I should've thought more about you both, but… I was just so… *sob* happy to finally have a family and not be *sob* alone anymore… I was selfish. I'm so *sob* sorry," I sobbed, tears falling from my eyes as Toshinori affectionately pressed his forehead to mine before pressing his lips to mine firmly, stopping me from talking as I melted into his sweet kiss. All too soon though, he pulled away, his eyes once again meeting mine as he had an unusually serious expression.

"He's not right. At all. Rose, you could never be an embarrassment to me. Because…" Toshinori seemed to look a little nervous before he took a deep breath before giving me a sweet kiss on the lips before pulling away just enough for him to be able to move his lips, which I could still feel on mine, "I love you, Rose." And with that, my heart melted, and every single one of my walls crumbled to dust.

"I love you too, Toshinori… So much…"

Song: This Is Me from The Greatest Showman


	19. Ch 18: The Next Day

-Toshinori/All Might's POV-

I woke up to the feeling of Rose's soft skin in my arms. My face heated and my heart felt full at the memories of what had happened the night before. After finally telling her I loved her, Rose and I had made love for the first time and while it wasn't planned, it could not have been more perfect in my eyes. I was just too in love with this woman in my arms. However, that bliss was interrupted by a loud knock at Rose's door. She groaned slightly and started to turn in her sleep.

"Shh… I'll go see who it is. You go back to sleep, okay?" I soothed her gently as I gave her a soft kiss on the forehead causing her to smile in her half-asleep state. God. She's beautiful. The knocking got more insistent.

Sighing to myself, I got up with a great amount of reluctance, throwing on a pair of a green pants and a white shirt that I left here in case I had fallen asleep here which honestly had happened a couple of times with Rose's nightmares. Quickly activating my hero form as I reached the door, I opened it to see Endeavor out of his hero costume, but that's not the only thing that seemed off.

"What do you want, Endeavor? Don't you think you upset her enough last night?" I asked, my usual smile gone as my voice expressed my obvious disdain for the man in front of me. He didn't meet my eyes for once.

"I need to talk to Rose," he stated simply, and I grimaced. I didn't think that was such a great idea after how upset she was last night.

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Endeavor. You hurt her enough yesterday. I came home to her sobbing and second guessing feeling like she actually had a family for once. Not only that, you had her question mine and her relationship," I responded, my usual happy demeanor completely gone, "I will not let you make her feel like that again." At this he glared at me.

"Look, I need to apologize to her okay?! I messed up and hurt the one person who was willing to see me as family. Hell, my own kids don't accept me these days except for Fuyumi, and even she wouldn't talk to me last night," Endeavor admitted with a scowl.

"Maybe you should've thought about that before making those comments, Endeavor-san," a soft voice said from behind me. Shocked, I turned to see Rose, dressed in a pair of blue leggings and an All Might workout tanktop that said Go Beyond Plus Ultra on it. The sight caused me to smile a bit. She had gotten the shirt as a way to annoy Endeavor during their training sessions.

"Rose, sweetheart, I didn't hear you get up. Endeavor was just leaving," I stated bluntly as I sent a slight glare towards Endeavor.

"No he wasn't, All Might. I've been here since shortly after you answered the door," Rose responded as she pushed past me and stood in between me and Endeavor, "All Might, I'd like to talk to Endeavor-san for a minute, alone." I grimaced at this, but nodded before moving to the kitchen where I could still hear what was going on.

"So I'm not nii-san anymore?" I heard Endeavor ask, his gruff voice sounding slightly hurt.

"I didn't think you wanted to be. Especially since you're so worried about me embarrassing you. Since I'm sooo unstable," I heard Rose bite back, her voice clearly showing how hurt she felt. Damnit Endeavor! You just had to come and upset her again. I took a deep breath. As much as I hated what Endeavor did to upset her, it was clear that she still wanted to fix their relationship. She still saw him as an older brother.

"Look, I didn't mean it like that. I just had all the pressure of the press and other heroes there, and I started focusing on my image," Endeavor tried to explain.

"All Might had all those pressures there too. And I was there as his DATE. Yet he didn't accuse me of being an embarrassment to him! Instead, he spent the whole night introducing me to people and trying to make sure I was enjoying myself. Which I actually was starting to do until you had to make those comments!" she yelled angrily, "And who the hell wouldn't be unstable after everything I've gone through!?" At that I heard Endeavor growl, and I felt my muscles tense up in a protective reflex.

"How the hell would I know? You only tell that damn oaf of a boyfriend about it! I'm supposed to be your older brother, and you haven't told me anything about it!" Endeavor growled angrily. Okay. That's enough. Just as I was about to step out of the kitchen, Rose's voice stopped me.

"You want to know that badly?! Fine! Look up a villain attack in Texas in the U.S. about 6 years ago. There were two casualties: Santosh and Isha Chandrudu. That's my late husband and daughter. Here's a picture of them!" At that I'm assuming she pointed at the picture of them she had hanging up on the wall of her living room.

"... How old was she?..." Endeavor asked, his voice much softer now.

"She was 2.5, almost 3…" Rose answered, her voice cracking slightly, "After the attack, I was treated as a criminal at their funeral. In the U.S., quirks were illegal. I have 6 siblings, 5 of whom are alive. All of them were told that I was somehow involved in their deaths without knowing the real story. Santosh's family believes that I actually killed them. I have the letters to prove it. So there, you now know more than All Might… is what I would say if he wasn't listening from the kitchen."

I flinched at this. Of course she noticed. At that, I walked out of the kitchen with an apologetic smile. She looked at me with a slight shake of her head and a small sad smile as if to say she wasn't mad at me. To both mine and her surprise, Endeavor quickly wrapped her into a hug.

"I'm sorry," he muttered quietly, "I didn't mean to upset you like that. I really am a shitty older brother." Rose giggled slightly as she returned his hug.

"Yeah. You kind of are. But not the worse one, I'm sure," she teased him as she jumped up and ruffled his hair, earning an irritated growl from the flame-faced hero.

"Yeah yeah. Also, that tank top is awful. I'll make sure you get new workout gear the next time you come for a training session," Endeavor said gruffly, causing me to chuckle as Rose giggled again. I couldn't be mad if he was making her laugh and smile.

"Sure, Enji-nii-san! Get me an Endeavor one, and I'll wear it just as proudly!" she said with a smile earning a small smirk from Endeavor as well as he ruffled her hair.

"We'll see about that. Now I need to get home and start Shoto's training before I have to go for patrol. Take care of my sister, All Might," he said the last part gruffly in my direction, clearly trying to be more polite than usual out of respect for Rose's feelings. I gave him one of my signature hero smiles.

"Of course, Endeavor! Leave it to me!" I bellowed causing him scoff before walking out the door. As soon as the door was closed, Rose ran over to me as I went back to my normal form, coughing up a bit of blood as I did so. Not letting it bother her, Rose wrapped her arms around me, and I couldn't help but smile down at her as I reached for a paper towel that was on a counter nearby and wiped the blood off of my hand.

"Thanks, Toshinori… For looking out for me," she muttered sweetly into my chest, and I couldn't help but wrap one arm around her and use the other hand to tilt her chin to where she was facing me so I could place a tender kiss on her soft, full lips.

"Always, my dear. Now how about we go back to bed for a little bit?" I offered, somewhat selfishly. She breathed a relaxed sigh.

"That sounds absolutely wonderful…" she admitted dreamily, her emerald green eyes already beginning to drift closed.

Song: Kiss the Girl from The Little Mermaid

**A/N-**

**Sorry for such a short chapter. I've already put this at the end of the latest chapter for my Levi AckermanXOC book, but this past week has been hectic. My husband had a stomach bug the first half of the week and I ended up with it the second half of the week so it put me super behind on writing. I'm hoping to try and enforce a posting schedule soon, but we'll see how it goes. **

**Also, I'm hoping the next couple of chapters will get us to where the anime starts, so I may skip some key events that show up later as flashbacks. Sorry. Anyways, thanks again for all the support and love on this story! :) 3**

**P.S. - I saw the new My Hero Academia move today Heroes:Rising, and I would say 10/10 go see it if you can! :) **


	20. Ch 19: My Hero

(3 Months Later - May)

-Toshinori's POV-

I sighed as I morphed into my hero form as I pulled up to the gate of the Todoroki estate. No, Rose wasn't with me. Today, I had some business with Endeavor that she did not need to be present for. Honestly, part of me didn't even want to do this, but I knew how much it would mean to her, so I decided to grin and bear it. It would be worth it to make her happy. As I pulled up the driveway, I saw the flame hero standing with his arms crossed in front of his house. I got out, and I noticed him looking at the passenger window, obviously confused and irritated by the absence of a certain ginger haired woman.

"Why are you here?" Endeavor all but spat at me. I gave him my best hero smile.

"Well, I couldn't exactly have Rose here for what I needed to talk to you about! It would ruin the surprise!" I bellowed with a nervous smile. He scoffed.

"Just get to the point! Why are you here?" he demanded, his flames growing with his irritation.

"Ahhh… About that…" I started nervously fumbling with the box in my hands, "You see… Well bluntly put: I want to ask Rose to marry me, and I wanted to ask your permission first." I finished with a hearty and nervous laugh as I scratched the back of my neck. The look on his face was almost enough to calm my nerves. He was completely thrown for a loop before he glared at me.

"Why the hell are you asking me for her permission?! I'm not her father! Are you trying to make a fool out of me, All Might?!" he suddenly roared, obviously confused and unable to sense my sincerity, but I refused to give up that easily.

"No no… I assure you I'm 100 percent serious! It's just that… Rose's father and her are not exactly able to talk anymore considering her entire family in the U.S. has been told that she's a dangerous criminal. And out of everyone here in Japan, it's you who she looks up to most as a male figure in her life, so I thought asking your permission would mean a lot to her," I explained quickly and sincerely. With that, his flames decreased but his distrusting scowl did not leave his face.

"Aunt Rose is getting married?! Really?!" an excited female voice exclaimed. Both Endeavor and I's heads snapped in the direction of the voice to see his daughter, Fuyumi, who immediately slapped her hand over her mouth in fear of her father, who just huffed.

"I suppose if she says yes, then yes," Endeavor finally said, and my smile returned full force.

"Does that mean you approve of me asking her?" I clarified eagerly. He scowled at me as he walked up and glared into my eyes.

"Listen here, you blonde oaf! I'm only approving this because I think it will make her happy, and she deserves that much after the hell she's endured. That being said, if you hurt her even a little, I will fucking cremate you alive! Got it?!" he growled, his fire increasing for emphasis causing me to sweat a bit from the heat, but my smile only grew.

"Endeavor, if I ever hurt her intentionally, I will personally let you cremate me," I stated, my smile turning to a serious expression, "I love Rose with everything that I have. My only wish is to bring her the happiness she so greatly deserves." Endeavor nods at this before walking off into the house. Fuyumi immediately runs up to me.

"Excuse me, All Might-san! Since this means you'll be our uncle, can I help you plan the proposal or do you already have it planned out?" she asked excitedly. I chuckled at her enthusiasm and blushed a bit at being called 'uncle.'

"Ah…. Young Fuyumi… Maybe don't let your father hear you call me uncle. I think that might send his distaste for me over the edge. And I do have a plan for my proposal already, but it's a secret I'm afraid. Many of the details are related to mine and Rose's relationship up to this point. I apologize," I replied in a lower voice than usual, not wanting to irritate Endeavor anymore than my presence seemed to on its own. Fuyumi just grinned and nodded in understanding before running back inside. I smiled to myself. Despite his demeanor, Endeavor ended up with some pretty great kids it would seem. With that thought, I got back into my car before getting outside of the gate and reverting to my normal form. I may have used some time in my hero form for this meeting, but it was worth it. Now to start putting my plan into motion.

-Time Skip to the end of school day (Rose's POV)-

I walked out of the school and my heart lifted as I caught sight of Toshinori leaning on the side of his car, wearing a light gray suit with a red tie and a matching red carnation in his hand waiting to pick me up as he did most days. His smile lit up his face as he noticed me walking towards him as he handed me the carnation with a kiss on my hand, causing my face to burn red.

"T-Toshinori? What's going on?" I inquired, feeling a bit embarrassed from all the attention we were getting from the passing students and my coworkers.

"It's a surprise," the blonde hero said lowly with a wink as he led me to the other side of the car and opened the door for me.

True to his word, Toshinori would not tell me anything in the car, and as we reached the apartments, I had given up on trying to interrogate him about it as he led me to my apartment and let us in. We had given each other keys to our apartments after I had a couple of rough nights of night terrors that had caused panic attacks for me. Anyways, he opened the door to my apartment, letting me in before leaning his face to my ear from behind.

"Meet me at my apartment in 20 minutes. There is a surprise for you in your room. I'll see you soon," Toshinori whispered, his voice low and thick with emotions causing me to involuntarily shiver as he quickly left and closed the door behind him.

I took off my shoes and set my wallet and keys on my front table before hurrying quickly to my bedroom to see a little cat plushy that had on an All Might cosplay outfit on. It was adorable, and I knew Toshinori probably saw it and thought of me. During our relationship, I had taken to getting a fair amount of his merch, partially because I thought it was cute how flustered he would get about it when I did so.

The cat plush was holding a red rose with the thorns cut off and was beside a new outfit that I certainly did not buy myself and a letter. It was a short red dress that seemed fitted on top that pulled in with a ribbon that went around my waist and then fell loosely to my knees. It had a high, straight neckline and was sleeveless. As I put it on, I smiled to myself. After the last dress he had gotten me, I had admitted that I hated tight fitting clothes on my stomach, a bit of self consciousness left from having a baby. Of course, Toshinori would remember. With that thought, I smiled and put on the black wedges that were also sitting beside the dress.

Finally, I grabbed the note and unfolded it to see a small letter that made my smile only grow more.

_My dearest Rose,_

_Please accept this rose and plushy and put on the clothes beside them. I have a special night planned for us, and I hope I am able to keep you smiling throughout. You have brought so much happiness to my life, and as always, I'm hoping to continue to try and return the favor tonight. So please come over soon. I'm honestly probably a nervous wreck at the moment and could really use a hug. Oh well… I'm ranting now sorry. I love you, Rose. 3 _

_Love Always,_

_Toshinori_

I giggled to myself. Gosh, he was cute. I quickly grabbed my necessities before going and knocking on Toshinori's door. Seconds later, the door was open to see Toshinori with a giant smile and a blush on his face as he gave me a not so subtle once over. Deciding to tease him a bit, I gave him a small smirk and did a little twirl causing the dress to flow out a bit.

"Like what you see?" I teased with a wink, and Toshinori gulped and adjusted his tie nervously.

"Very much so," he responded, his voice a bit husky before he quickly cleared his throat and shook his head a bit to clear his head as I felt my face heat up at his voice. Moving to the side of the door, he motioned for me to come in, and I did so, gasping slightly in shock at the scene in front of me.

A small circular table for two with a white tablecloth was in his dining room area which was dark (as was the rest of the apartment I had just noticed) save for a small stand of three candles in the center of the table. Toshinori put his large hand on the small of my back as he guided me over to a seat at the table and pulling out a chair for me. I thanked him with a deep blush on my face as I noticed another red rose on the table in front of me with another letter. Toshinori had disappeared for some reason, so I took this time to open and read the letter.

_My love,_

_I know you're probably confused by this point, but I ask you to bear with me a little longer. Just know that I am wanting more than anything to express how much you mean to me, and I'm hoping by the end of the night that my point will get across. By the way, I may have written this ahead of time, but I can already tell you look stunning in the dress._

_Your Toshi_

I blushed and panicked a bit. Was today an important date that I had somehow forgotten? It definitely wasn't our anniversary. That would be in November… And was hinting that he wanted to make love again? It's not like we hadn't done so more than once before. He didn't have to go through this much effort for that to be honest… Toshinori was so loving and never pressuring, so I rarely refused him if he asked.

Before I could panic myself anymore, my thoughts were interrupted by a plate being set in front of me as I sat the rose beside it on the table. The food was mouthwatering in smell, especially since I had spent most of my lunch break grading and had missed the opportunity to eat anything more than a granola bar. I looked at Toshinori with a quirked eyebrow as he sat down with his own plate in front of me.

"What's going on, Toshi? Did you cook this?" I inquired, and he just laughed nervously and gave me a sweet smile.

"Nothing, Rose. I just wanted to give you a special night is all, and I know you're not exactly a fan of crowds," Toshinori admitted and scratched the back of his head, "And yes, I did cook this, but I don't want to talk about how much practice it took." I giggled at this. He really was too sweet for me.

"Well then, we shouldn't let it get cold," I announced with enthusiasm, "Itadakimasu!" Toshinori mimicked thanking for the food, and we got to eating the meal in front of us, having our normal conversations about our days and other random things we thought of until we were finished.

Once we were both done, Toshinori walked over to me and held his hand out to me. I smiled and took his hand as he helped me up and pulled me into a firm hug causing me to smile even wider as I nuzzled my face into his firm chest.

"Thank you, Toshi. Dinner was wonderful," I thanked him sincerely, as he chuckled.

"The night is not quite over yet, my dear," he told me followed by a kiss on the top of my head as he led me out and to his car.

He drove us over to beach that we had gone to a couple of times for walks and had us get out there. Deciding not to question it, I took my wedges off, intending to walk barefoot because anything other than flats or tennis shoes on sand is a nightmare. Suddenly, I found myself in the arms of my blonde lover as he carried me bridal style to a pier that overlooked the ocean that had a white blanket spread across it. By now, it was dark out, and for some reason, the street lamps nearby were not on allowing me to see the stars in the sky much better which caused me to smile.

As Toshinori sat me down in front of it, I noticed there was another letter and another red rose. I looked back quizzically at Toshinori as he nodded, motioning for me to open it. I quirked my eyebrow at him one more time before shrugging my shoulders and deciding to go with it. Clearly, Toshinori had worked really hard at making this date night special for whatever reason, and I'd have been lying if I said I was not really enjoying it. Crouching down to not give a free show up my dress to any passerbys, I grabbed the letter and rose before standing up and opening the letter to read it.

_Rose,_

_I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I would say to you in this letter, and to say I'm nervous would be an understatement of heroic proportions. - _

I laughed a bit at the pun but quickly felt my heart start to race as I continued reading.

_\- Rose, I have never met someone as kind, strong, and caring as you are. Though you like to act like you're made of stone, I have seen time and time again that under the fiesty front you put on for the world is a woman who has had to fight her whole life, most of it by herself. It's one of your most admirable traits: your resilience. _

_When I first approached you at the apartments, I had no idea what you would do to me. That you alone would be the one that reminded me that I was allowed to fall in love too, even if I do have big responsibilities. Seeing you continuing to live after the tragedies you've faced so early in adulthood, it made me realize that time is short. _

_I do not want to waste anymore of the precious time that I have to be able to spend with you. That night, at the memorial in Santosh and Isha's honor, I promised your late husband that you would no longer have to fight alone. Tonight, I wish to show you just what I mean by that. Rose, my love, turn around now._ -

My eyes were blurry with tears now as I stopped in confusion, tempted to keep reading, but turned around anyways as I looked up from the letter and immediately let out a sob. There was Toshinori on one knee with a nervous smile on his and a small red velvet box that was opened to reveal a simple white gold ring with several small diamonds set into the shape of a small rose on it.

"Rose, I know we may not have been together long, and I know you've got a lot of pain in your heart. But you've made me so happy since the day I met you, and I'd love it if you'd give me the chance to try and give you that same happiness for the rest of our lives," Toshinori confessed, his confidence seeming to grow a bit as love and affection filled his voice, his electric blue eyes sparking as he finally asked the question I was now waiting to hear, "Rose, my dear, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

I was trembling now as sobs racked my body causing the blonde in front of me to look quite distraught, but he managed to maintain his nervous smile. Realizing the stress I was cause him, I knew I had to give him the answer my heart had sung as soon as he asked.

"Of course I will, Toshinori!" I sobbed, throwing my arms around his neck in a desparate need for his affection to ground me during a time when I was filled with so many emotions. Capturing my lips in a kiss as he stood up from the ground, Toshinori used this as a chance to take my left hand and slip the ring onto my left ring finger. He had even gotten my ring size right. I smiled to myself into the kiss. This man was literally too perfect sometimes.

Soon enough, we had to break for air as Toshinori kept one arm wrapped firmly around my waist and his other hand cupping my cheek as he pressed his forehead to mine affectionately. It was then that I noticed the tears falling from his eyes too.

"Thank you so much, my dear Rose. I'll do everything in my power to be the husband and hero you deserve," Toshinori said lowly, his voice sounding as happy as the smile on his face looked.

"You already are, Toshi. You've been my hero from day one," I admitted, and radiant did not even begin to cover how his smile looked as he pulled me in for another passionate kiss. With that kiss, we forgot about the rest of the world, even the letter that was left not completely read in my hand.

_-Thank you so much for being a light in my life when I was falling into a darkness that I didn't know how to handle. _

_Love,_

_Your Future Husband (Hopefully) Toshinori Yagi_

_P.S. → I can't wait to see how you look in white future Mrs. Rose Yagi. 3_

Song: 10,000 Hours by Dan and Shay feat. Justin Bieber


	21. Ch 20: A New Life and New Successor

-TIME SKIP (1.5 years later) Rose's POV-

I smiled as I finished up decorating our new apartment. Since Toshinori would be starting a new job this coming school year at his alma mater, U.A. High School, we had decided to move a little closer to the school for convenience sake. As I pulled out a photo, I couldn't hide my teenage like swoon and 100 watt smile that I had picked up from Toshinori.  
Inside the picture frame was a picture of Toshinori and I at our wedding almost a year and a half ago. We had had a tiny ceremony with a handful of guests including Nezu, Aizawa, Hizashi, Naomasa Tsukauchi, oh and this little old guy called Gran Torino that for some reason terrified Toshinori. It was almost comical. None of the Todorokis came as we wanted Toshinori to be able to be in his usual form so that he wouldn't strain himself (Also we didn't want Enji-nii-san to set anything on fire). Plus, I personally preferred him in his normal form, a fact the man himself still could not seem to get wrapped his head wrapped around.

That day had been simple, but perfect. We did a quick ceremony at the local courthouse with me in a knee length white dress that was very reminiscent of the dress that I had worn the night Toshinori had proposed to me. Toshinori wore gray slacks with a white dress shirt and a red tie. Our vows were the same simple ones that had been used a million times before with Toshinori adding a small extra part about promising to make me smile the best he could everyday. It was cheesy and sweet, and my face was red the entire time.

Then Nezu and the faculty at U.A. had put together a small reception for us at which Hizashi got absolutely shit faced (though we didn't think there was enough alcohol for that to even happen), and Aizawa had to carry his drunk, loud ass boyfriend home before I fried the blond with my wings for giving me a migraine. But all in all my anger was in good fun, and the day was absolutely perfect in my eyes.

Toshinori had even surprised me with a weeklong honeymoon trip to Kyoto where we stayed in one of the traditional ends up there away from the hustle and bustle of city life. This was a nice change of pace for me since I had grown up in a small town in the U.S. Kyoto is also a city full of history and culture which was something I had a great passion for considering my bachelors degree was in foreign cultures. All in all, it was obvious that my now-husband had done a lot of thinking, and it was frankly as perfect as he was in my eyes.

Snapping out of my daze, I rolled my eyes at how cheesy I was being. Yes, I had been married before, but it still surprised me how absolutely lovesick I got over Toshinori. It was downright embarrassing at times. I sighed to myself with a rueful smile as I hung the picture up on the wall and checked the time on my phone. 3:12PM. Yes, I still worked at the middle school, but they rearranged my schedule so that my last period was free for me to go home.

Well actually, it was for me to go to my second job, which I had to be out the door for in 18 minutes. I had been trying to wait for Toshinori to get back from getting the groceries for dinner, but it looks like he must have had something hold him up. I'd just fix something quick when I got back. With that thought, I rushed back to our room to get ready for my next job.

Ten minutes later, I was in the sky, my once pure white flaming wings now a mix of white and blue. As I had progressed with my quirk training, my fire had grown hotter causing my wings now to have wisps of blue fire throughout them. Suddenly, a voice cut through my earpiece.

"_Lady Icarys, ma'am! There's been word a sighting of the sludge villain that was seen earlier near Onadera Junior High School!"_ the secretary at Endeavor's hero agency said with urgency. With that information I thanked the secretary and secured my simple white and red protective glasses that were covering my eyes and changed direction towards the school.

That's right. I was now a hero. I had passed my licensing exam after over a year of training with Endeavor and Hawks and studying under the strict teaching of Aizawa. After that, there are no doubts in my mind about the validity of the horror stories I had heard about the strict underground hero turned teacher. The guy was a slave driver, but his methods worked and I passed my licensing exam on my first try. I had chosen a simple hero name, just going with the name of my quirk. Toshinori was a bit apprehensive about it since All for One had targeted me for it before, but I was adamant that it would be fine since Toshinori had already defeated him.

Anyways, as I headed towards the school, I came across a sight that shocked me. There was Toshinori, in his hero form, standing under a bridge, with a kid passed out in front of him. Worried about the kid and my husband, I quickly descending to them with a small wave and a smile.

"Good afternoon, All Might. What's going on here?" I asked, trying to act formal until I recognized the kid who was once passed out, coming to as Toshinori patted the side of his cheek quickly, "Izuku?" Suddenly the green haired boy's eyes went wide as he quickly backed up from Toshinori. I suppressed a giggle. Izuku had always been a huge All Might fanboy from what I understood, and now his hero was right in front of him.

"A-All Might!?" Izuku stuttered causing me to giggle and him to turn to me, "L-Lady Icarys?!" All Might let out a hearty laugh, but I noticed that he was starting to shake a bit. Shit. He was coming towards the end of his hero time frame.

"Thought I'd lost you there! So glad you're okay, young man! Now, I must be going!" he announced quickly as he got ready to jump into the air to no doubt find a place to turn back out of the public eye. Without him realizing, as he jumped, Midoriya grabbed his pants leg. I sighed to myself. Oh well. Toshinori could handle one fanboy even if it was a super fanboy like Midoriya. With that thought, I flew off in the opposite direction to continue my patrol and notified Endeavor's secretary that All Might had taken care of the sludge villain.

-TIME SKIP (After Rose's Patrol) Rose POV-

It was getting later in the afternoon. Enji-nii had called me an hour into my patrol, telling me to head home because he wanted to continue the patrol for the day. That had worried me because it could only mean that Shoto and he had gotten into it… again… There was concern on that front, but there was a bigger issue than that for me. Toshinori still had not reached home. Even with taking the sludge villain to the station and doing the paperwork for it, he should have reached home well before me. I had already cooked dinner when I finally got a call. My heart leaped. It was Toshinori.

"Toshinori, where are you? Are you okay?" I inquired nervously. Lately using quirk has seemed to really be doing a number on his body, and it was really worrying me.

"_Rose dear, I'm fine. Have you seen the news?"_ he asked, his tone a little nervous, but he sounded okay. I grew suspicious.

"No… I've been working on dinner. Why? Is there something on there you don't want me to see?" I questioned, suspicion clear in my tone.

"_Ahh… Not really… That is… I may have pushed past my limit today because the sludge villain escaped and had captured a child and Young Midoriya tried to save the other kid. So I may have turned back to my hero form after my time limit was up to save them," _Toshinori explained quickly, and I felt my temperature spike along with my temper. My wings flared out a bit, but I stopped them and retracted them before anything could catch on fire.

"Toshinori Yagi," I growled angrily and I could practically feel his nervousness across the phone, "Where are you right now?" He laughed nervously.

"_I am outside of Young Midoriya's apartment. I asked him to be my successor for One for All,"_ he admitted, and I lost it, my wings sprung out and scorched the nearby kitchen chair, turning it to ash in seconds.

"You what?!" I yelled, "Don't you think you could at least talk to me about these sort of things especially before choosing one of MY STUDENTS?!" The pause on the other end of the phone told me Toshinori knew I was pissed, but in reality, I was just worried. Toshinori put himself in a lot of danger and pain by pushing his time limit. Then, he decides to give a quirk with such power to such a timid child like Midoriya. I was worried for both of them, but I was not always the best at expressing that so anger was the best I could do at the moment.

"_Rose, sweetie, I know you're worried, and I'm sorry that I caused you to be upset. I'll be home soon. We'll talk more then,"_ Toshinori said sweetly and in a comforting tone as he tried to calm me down, "_I love you, my dear. I'll be home as soon as I can."_ I hummed in response before hanging up, not saying goodbye or I love you back.

Something that ate away at me, but there was this terrible feeling in my gut. Part of me knew it was fear from all the people I had lost before, but there was another layer to it: guilt. I had noticed Midoriya holding onto Toshinori's leg. If I had followed and intervened, I could've prevented both of them being put in danger. _What the hell kind of hero doesn't make the right decision and then snaps at their spouse when it backfires?_

At the thought, I ran to our room and buried my face into the pillows on Toshinori's side of the bed, inhaling the familiar and comforting scent that always seemed to help ground me from full on panic attacks, which I currently was quite close to having. My panic attacks never did go away, but Toshinori and I had figured out that when I panicked, anything that made it feel like he was nearby significantly reduced the severity of the panic attacks so going to his side of the bed when I was stressed had become a sort of habit for me when he wasn't available. Unable to do anything else at this point, I let out a yell that quickly turned into a sob as tears fell down my face.

I was scared. Scared of all the changes that were happening in mine and Toshinori's lives. Scared of what this meant for the safety and happiness of my sweet and radiant husband. And more than anything: Scared of losing him just like I had all the loved ones I had before him. And if there was one thing I had become quite certain of in our last year and a half of marriage, it was that losing Toshinori would be the loss that would finally break me.

Song: Dusk Till Dawn by ZAYN ft. Sia

**A/N-**

**Sorry to everyone that was hoping for some super descriptive wedding chapter. I just figured with the secrecy of Toshinori's hero form and the fact that Rose doesn't have many people she is close to in Japan as well as her distaste for fancy events and such, doing a quick overview would be more than adequate for now. In the future, I may do a flashback of the event, but for now, I really wanted to get to where the anime starts. Thank you all for your support and understanding! :) **


	22. Ch 21: Encouragement

-Rose's POV-

Warm arms wrapped around my waist pulling me into a thin but muscular chest, and I scrunched my eyes closed, not wanting to face my husband after snapping at him on the phone earlier. One of his hands moved from waist to gently stroke my hair as I felt Toshinori press his thin lips to the crown of my head.

"Rose, dear, I know you're awake," he stated gently as I tensed up, "Can you please turn and look at me?" I turned around and opened my eyes which were swollen from all the crying I had done, but I refused to meet gazes with the man laying beside me.

"Rose, I'm not mad at you. You're worried, and you were caught off guard because I made a huge decision without talking to you. I'm sorry about that by the way," Toshinori said sweetly, starting to ramble in his attempt to make me feel better. Not wanting him to feel bad or continue on his rambling, I looked up and pressed my chapped lips to his in a chaste kiss before pulling away and taking a deep breath.

"I _am_ worried, Toshinori, but you had every right to make the decision about One for All by yourself. I just know that by passing it along, you are going to be getting even more vulnerable. Also, Izuku is such a timid kid… I don't know how he'll handle it," I admitted before laying my head on his chest and wrapping my arms around him and saying softly, "I'm also terrified of losing you, Toshinori… I don't know what I would do if I did."

I felt Toshinori tense up a bit at my confession before he relaxed and cupped my cheek gently guiding my gaze to his. His ocean blue eyes flickered with electricity, the proof of One for All, but what caught me off guard was his unusual expression. He may not smile constantly when not in his hero form, but it was still rare to see him looking so incredibly intense.

"I'm not going anywhere, Rose. You won't have to be alone again. I promise I won't make you go through that again," he said, his deep voice strong, his eyes serious. I sighed.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Toshinori. You're the Symbol of Peace. Your life is in danger everyday," I stated bluntly. He frowned at this before pulling me into a deep and passionate kiss that threw me for a loop. Too soon, the kiss was over and he pressed his forehead to mine affectionately.

"I guess I'll just have to make sure I keep my promise then," he responded, his voice so full of conviction that I couldn't help but believe him as he pressed another loving kiss on my lips, "_**I love you, Rose Yagi**_**.**" My face flushed at this. Even after being married for a year and a half, him calling me by his last name still made my heart flutter, and when he did it in English as well, it only made me swoon more. Something about hearing someone say they love you in your native language speaks to the heart, especially when its different than their own.

"I love you too, Toshinori Yagi," I responded, my voice strong and sincere as I allowed my eyes to leave his as I laid my head back onto his firm chest, taking comfort in the sound of his strong heartbeat. Toshinori kept one arm wrapped around my waist and the other entangled in my long ginger hair as he held me close, rubbing small comforting circles on my back. After a couple of minutes, Toshinori broke the silence.

"Would you like to be involved in Young Midoriya's training? It might give you some peace of mind to help," he said considerately before adding, "Plus, I could use some help with coming up with his nutrition needs and diet plans." I smiled at his willingness and wanting to involve me in Izuku's training, and if I was honest, it would help me feel a bit better.

"Sure. The semester will end in a couple of months anyways. My lesson plans are already written too. When do you start his training?" I asked curiously, silently thankful for my tendency to overplan when it came to my job at the school.

"Ah… About that, I might have told him to meet me at the beach that was trashed starting uh… tomorrow morning at 5am," Toshinori admitted nervously causing me to groan. He chuckled. I hated waking up early, and Toshinori was well aware of it.

"How about I start helping on Monday? That will give you two more of a chance to bond and get to know each other without seeing his English teacher with his hero. Give me a copy of his training schedule that you have planned, and I will write a generalized nutrition guide tonight, and I'll have the specified one by tomorrow afternoon," I suggested, also thinking that I could enjoy my last day to sleep in for a while as well. Toshinori chuckled.

"Great idea as always, Rose. I'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with wanting to sleep in instead of being up that early," he teased. I smirked at him and shook my head childishly.

"Nope," I replied, popping the 'p', "Absolutely nothing to do with that." At that, we both laughed as we got up to go eat dinner before bed.

~~~~~TIME SKIP (Monday 520AM)~~~~~~~

"Toshinori, are we sure this is a good idea?" I asked with a yawn. I was worried about how strict of a schedule he had Izuku on. The kid would crash and burn if he did not follow the instructions exactly as they were written. Toshinori had asked me to do the same with his meal plan, but I would be lying if I didn't sneak in a few meals here or there that would supplement him if he decided to go overboard.

"Of course, Rose! He may be a fanboy and a bit of a crybaby, but Young Midoriya has the heart of a hero!" Toshinori responded enthusiastically as we stood on the beach waiting for the boy in question. I decided to have a bit of fun and hide behind some of the trash, so Izuku couldn't see me. Smiling a bit to myself, I activated my quirk and allowed a white flame to burn on the tip of my pointer finger. This was a new trick I had been practicing with Enji-nii, and now seemed like a good chance to play around with it.

"All Might!" I heard the enthusiastic voice of everyone's favorite fanboy yell out excitedly as he ran up to where Toshinori was.

"Shh kid! Don't call me that when I'm in this form. You'll draw attention that none of us really want," Toshinori scolded the boy.

"R-right! Sorry, All Might…" he sounded kind of sad at that. Sigh. This kid's gonna have a rough time becoming a hero being so sensitive.

Deciding to break the tension before Toshi panicked (he doesn't do as well with upset kids when he's not in his hero form), I decided to poke my head out from behind the destroyed fridge I was currently hiding behind and shoot a tiny fireball from the tip of my pointer finger causing Izuku to squeal and jump back looking around for a potential threat looking scared but determined. _Hmm… Now I see what Toshinori means… He's scared, but he doesn't want to let anyone else get hurt either. This is gonna be interesting_. I smirked to myself as I started to step out from behind the fridge. Toshinori looked at me with an amused smile.

"You're pretty quick on your feet, Young Midoriya. Not bad reflexes at all! Now, there is someone I wanted to introduce you to," Toshinori said as he looked at me with a loving smile causing my face to flush a bit. He really was something else. I returned his smile before turning to see that Izuku had recovered and had now met my emerald gaze with his own. When he recognized me, his eyes went wide.

"M-Mrs. Yagi?! What are you doing here?! How do you know All Might?! All Might, is it okay for her to see you out of your hero form?!" Izuku started panicking and doing his muttering thing as Toshinori laughed loudly, breaking his train of thought.

"Young Midoriya! I'd like to introduce you to my wife, Rose Yagi," Toshinori announced proudly as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close to him. I blushed at this but laughed as Izuku's jaw hit the sand.

"Hey, Izuku! How's it going?" I greeted him with a kind smile causing him to look at me confused.

"But, at school, everyone calls you the demon teacher because you're so harsh and strict, a-and your married to the Symbol of Peace?!" he muttered mostly to himself as he tried to work through his shock. Toshinori looked at me with slight concern.

"The demon teacher?" he asked with an eyebrow raised. I sighed in frustration.

"Oi, Izuku. Mind not snitching to my husband that I'm not coddling my students!" I yelled at the now terrified broccoli haired boy before turning to Toshinori and rolling my eyes, "Seriously, I curse at one student and throw a couple of erasers at kids that passed out in my class and suddenly I'm a demon teacher. I just take giving kids an education seriously. It's vital to development."

Toshinori chuckled at this, understanding now what was going on. He knew if there was one thing that was true about me was that I had a passion for learning and teaching. I held education in high importance and treated my classes as such.

"S-sorry, Mrs. Yagi!" Izuku said nervously with a bow. I just shook my head and laughed lightly as I walked up to the kid and ruffled his hair causing him to look up at me in confusion.

"I'm just teasing ya, kid. I may be a real stickler in the classroom, but outside of it, I'm a bit of a different person especially when it comes to my husband. Don't worry, he and I are gonna do our best to help prepare you for the UA entrance exam. And you're gonna kick ass!" I encouraged him with a smirk, "After all, with two awesome heroes teaching you, how could you possibly fail?" He looked at me wide eyed.

"Y-you're a hero too, Mrs. Yagi?!" he asked in shock, "What's your hero name? Your quirk?"

I smiled at him and turned away walking back towards my husband giving him a look asking if he was okay with it. He smiled at me and nodded, clearly thankful that I was trying to bond with his little protege. Deciding to be a bit dramatic, I let my quirk activate, causing my white and blue flaming wings to shoot out from my back as my eyes turned white. There was an audible gasp from the curly haired boy behind me, so I looked over my shoulder at him, a smirk still present on my face.

"Y-you're! You're-!" Izuku stuttered as I finished his sentence with confidence.

"Pro hero, Lady Icarys, at your service, Izuku."

Song: Best of You by Andy Grammer (feat. Elle King)


	23. Ch 22: Almost to UA

-Rose's POV-

During the time of the UA entrance exams, I was actually out on a mission in Kyushu to help Hawks out. He claimed it was urgent, so I wished Izuku luck before I left and apologized to Toshinori for not being there for them both. I knew they were both nervous for Izuku, and to be honest, I was too, but I had also seen the determination of the sweet kid. That led me to not worrying as much as I would have otherwise.

Upon reaching Kyushu, I was immediately greeted by a familiar head of sandy hair, vermillion wings, and cocky smile. Hawks had trained me in flying once Enji-nii had helped me control my flames. At a glance, one would assume that the winged hero would have been fun to train with and as easygoing as he was in public. That was definitely not the case. Training with Hawks had been almost more intense than training with Enji, and I often found myself passing out as soon as I reached the agency, sometimes without calling a worried Toshinori.

When that happened, I always knew to expect at least 10 missed calls and 20 texts from my worry wart of a husband. The last texts were always along the lines of "Spoke to Hawks. He said you're sleeping. I hope you're taking care of yourself. I miss you so much. I love you." It always warmed my heart to see in the mornings and really helped me to not give up during that intense month of training. During that training, Hawks had taken to calling me Onee-chan because we got tired of the media and fans trying to accuse us of dating, and because I admitted to him once during a night of drinking after training that he reminded me a lot of one of my younger brothers, specifically the one who had passed away while I was pregnant with Isha.

"Hey there, Mrs. Might," Hawks teased with a cocky smirk, snapping me out of my reminiscing and earning the bird man a glare.

"Not so loud, moron! That's not public information!" I hissed, earning a chuckle from the laid back hero.

"So sorry, Onee-chan. I just have to tease you since I didn't get an invite to the wedding," he admitted with a mock hurt expression. I rolled my eyes at this and gave him a playful smack across the back of the head as we walked out of the airport.

"Enji-nii didn't get one either. I told you there wasn't much of a wedding. It was literally just some of the teachers from UA because the furball insisted that we do more than just a courthouse thing," I defended myself with a huff of annoyance. Hawks and Enji-nii had both been butt hurt about not being invited, but I couldn't risk Toshinori's secret coming out to anyone else.

After a week of this constant back and forth between me and Hawks, we managed to complete the mission, successfully breaking up an entire drug cartel that had been gaining power in the area. It led to me getting a pretty bad gash along my right side that had to have several stitches on my last night in the city, but I refused to reschedule my flight. One week had been too long, and I was ready to get back to Toshinori and find out how Izuku had done on the entrance exams. Toshinori had been really busy after the exams having to record congratulatory messages for all those who passed and were accepted into UA, so we decided that we would wait till I returned home to talk about it.

As I unlocked the door to our apartment, my teeth grit slightly in pain, I was greeted with a huge hug from my husband that caused me to let out a whimper of pain. This elicited a concerned expression from Toshinori as he backed away quickly and looked at me trying to figure out where I was hurting.

"Sorry," I apologized through gritted teeth, "One of the villains during the raid last night got me on my left side with a sword… I've got ten stitches on my left side, and my pain meds are wearing off." Toshinori looked at me in concern.

"Why didn't you wait till you were more healed to come home? You shouldn't have been travelling in this condition," Toshinori scolded gently as he took my suitcase and wheeled it into our room before easing me onto our bed, "Rose… What can I do to help?" I smiled at him and grabbed his thin arm and pulled him down to my level and pressed my lips to his, letting out a sigh of relief.

Something about Toshinori's touch always managed to help me with my stress and anxiety regardless of how I was feeling physically. I felt him smile a bit as he returned my kiss for a moment before pulling back and giving me a worried small.

"While I'm glad to help in that way, I was more referring to how I could help with your pain," he pointed out, not letting me get away with ignoring my injuries. I sighed in mock disappointment, earning an amused chuckle from him.

"Well I guess since you won't help that way, helping me clean and rewrap this stupid cut would be a big help, and getting my pain meds out of the top pocket of my suitcase," I answered with an irritated pout. I really just wanted to cuddle and sleep. Toshinori gave me another amused smile before leaning down and pressing his warm, thin lips to my forehead.

"I can do that," he assured me as he helped me get off the bed and to our attached bathroom, making sure I didn't trip because of my now more pronounced limp, "Afterwards, I'll come lay down with you and we can be lazy for the rest of the day. How does that sound?" I smiled despite trying to seem annoyed. This man really was too good for me.

"That sounds perfect," I admitted as he started unwrapping my wound. He grimaced when he saw the wound that was now red and puffy from the irritation of how I had been moving it while travelling.

"Rose, you really shouldn't have travelled with a wound like this," Toshinori scolded gently as he got out some antiseptic and started dabbing it gently on my wound with a soft clean cloth, earning a hiss of pain from me when the burning of the antiseptic started.

"I didn't want to be away from you anymore," I admitted quietly. Ever since Toshinori had decided to give his quirk to Izuku, I found myself feeling more and more anxious and having more and more nightmares about what had happened to Santosh and Isha, but instead of Santosh in my nightmares, he's been replaced with Toshinori.

While in Kyushu, the night terrors had gotten so bad that it had woken Hawks to the point where he thought I was being tortured in the middle of the night. I had one every single night I was in Kyushu, but I didn't want to worry Toshinori with that. He had enough to worry about with it, so I was hoping it would stop once I was back with him again. The lack of restful sleep was part of what caused my reflexes to be too slow to stop the injury that was now causing me a major inconvenience.

Toshinori told me I was now on required bed rest until my stitches healed up a bit. He also had let me know that Izuku had gotten zero points for destroying robots during the practical exam, but he still managed to pass because of his hero points that he got for saving a girl and taking out a zero point robot which apparently was way bigger than the other robots. In the process though, Izuku had broken both his arm and both his legs. I shook my head in disbelief. I had no idea One For All was so destructive on the body of the user. That would explain why Toshinori's injuries always seemed more aggravated after using it for a while.

After treating my wound, true to his word, Toshinori led me back to bed and pulled me to where I was laying on my right side with my head on his chest. Taking a deep breath, inhaling his scent, I found myself all but melted into the man beside me. His warm hands soothed me even further, one gently rubbing my back, the other stroking my hair, earning an appreciative hum from me. Pressing a sweet kiss to the crown of my head, Toshinori broke the silence.

"I still think it was unwise for you to travel in your current condition, but I'm so glad to have you back in my arms," he admitted, his deep voice thick with emotions as he buried his face into my hair. I smiled and nuzzled into his chest, placing a small kiss on his throat.

"It's hard to sleep when I'm away from you," I admitted sheepishly as I let out a large yawn. I felt a rumble in Toshinori's chest as he chuckled.

"You really are too adorable, Rose," he cooed leaning down to kiss me on the nose earning a small giggle and blush from me, "Get some sleep, my dear. I'll stay here with you until you wake up." I laid my head back on his chest and hummed in agreement, suddenly feeling too tired to form words as I found myself fading quickly into a peaceful slumber, trusting the kind golden haired man holding me to keep the nightmares away.

Song: feel better by gnash

**A/N:**

**So I'm not saying that I'll be updating this story as often as my other two, but I'm trying to make myself write something for it because the love and support I have gotten for this story is insane! I hope you all are staying safe and enjoy this small update! I really am trying to find more inspiration for this story, so please just be patient! Lots of love! - Taeha**


	24. Ch 23: Meeting Class 1-A

-Rose's POV-

After a couple of weeks of enforced bed rest courtesy of my super concerned hero of a husband, I had healed up for the most part. We did agree that I should resign from working at Aldera Junior High for now and focus on my hero work. Also, Toshinori had told me that he really wanted me to help out here and there with his classes at UA. He even got it approved by Nezu for me to come assist him for his first day of work. I quickly got up and dressed in a blue sleeveless button up shirt, white skinny jeans and my yellow converse sneakers.

Toshinori was obviously nervous as we got up and got ready for the day. He kept pacing around the house practicing a speech he was going to do about hero training to the students and adjusting his tie on his too big suit. It was completely adorable, and I couldn't help but come up to him and press a kiss on his lips, interrupting one of his practice speeches. He stopped and kissed me back lovingly before we separated.

"You're going to do great, Toshi. Don't stress yourself out too much about this," I encouraged, placing a comforting hand on his chest as my emerald eyes met his ocean blue ones. He gave me a small smile before pressing a soft kiss on my forehead.

"Thank you, Rose. I'm glad you're getting to be there too. It's making me feel a little less nervous," he admitted with a sheepish grin that caused me to giggle as I pulled away and walked towards the kitchen and grabbed his plate.

"Well either way, you can't get much done on a completely empty stomach. Now, come eat before it gets cold," I instructed with a hand on my hip as I placed his plate on the table earning a chuckle from him as he complied to my instructions, "You're going to be a fantastic teacher, Toshi. All Might may be the Symbol of Peace, but you are also a man that has trained ridiculously hard to be the number one hero. It won't come all at once, but you'll figure it out." He gave me a nod of appreciation as he took a bite of his fried egg and toast.

"You know, it's almost like I'm one of your students now. You're teaching me to be a teacher," Toshinori acknowledged, and I shrugged.

"I guess maybe. Teaching is something that I don't think I could ever completely walk away from. Now come on. We gotta finish eating or else we're gonna be late," I urged as I took a bite of my own fried eggs. He chuckled.

"Yes, sensei," he teased with a large grin that made me blush a bit. _Dammit… He's over 7ft tall and he's still adorable._

-Time Skip Brought to You by my daughter turning 1 year old :'(( -

We made it to U.A. around lunchtime because my kindhearted husband couldn't help stopping and heroing on the way there. I didn't mind. I knew what I was getting into when I married the blonde hero with a giant heart. Either way, once we got to U.A., Nezu requested a meeting with Toshinori and informed me that he wanted me to speak about a certain topic with Class 1-A after lunch today.

After bidding goodbye to Nezu and Toshi, I decided to go visit everyone's favorite emo hobo, so I headed straight to Class 1-A, not that I knew where it was. By heading straight there, I mean I just kind of walked around aimlessly but managed to find it pretty quickly despite that. Once I reached the classroom, I entered through the abnormally large door to see a familiar yellow sleeping bag with a tuft of messy ink black hair poking out of it. Deciding to mess with the underground hero a bit, I walked over and pushed his sleeping bag hard with my foot.

"Hey hoeeee...bo!" I greeted with a laugh earning a groan of annoyance from Aizawa as he crawled out of his sleeping bag a bit.

"Why are you here?" he asked, irritation clear in his voice.

"Good to see you too, _Sensei_," I teased before actually answering his question, "I'm here to help Toshi with his 1st day of teaching, and apparently Nezu wanted me to come talk to your students about a certain topic for some reason." Clearly, Aizawa had been informed of this ahead of time or just really didn't care and wanted to take a nap, but he didn't ask anymore questions before giving me instructions.

"Great. You can do that while I take a nap. The attendance is on the podium. Now, let me sleep," he responded, sounding completely exhausted and bored of the conversation as he quickly entered back into his sleeping back and fell back asleep before I could respond. _Geez he falls asleep fast. Are we sure his quirk isn't narcolepsy?_

I decided not to push the obviously exhausted hero and instead went to the podium and took a look at the attendance sheet and let out a string of curses in Telugu. The entire thing was in Kanji, which I suck at, especially when it came to reading names. At Aldera, since my class was to be taught completely in English, my attendance had always been in English as well, so this was not a problem I had to deal with there.

Before I got a chance to go try and track down another teacher to help me out of my current predicament or even send a text to Toshi, the bell rang and students began coming into the classroom from lunch. More curses flew through my head as I put a fake calm face on so the incoming students didn't see me sweat. Students could smell fear. Every teacher knew that. Soon enough, a tall boy with navy blue hair and check mark looking eyebrows and glasses entered the classroom and gave me a very stern look as he approached me with an intense bow of greeting.

"Excuse me, Miss, but what is the meaning of this? Who are you and where is Aizawa-sensei?" the boy demanded. As I opened my mouth to answer, a familiar head of spiky ash blonde hair, and I resisted the urge to groan at my luck.

"WHAT THE HELL?! WHY ARE YOU HERE, HAG?!" Bakugo demanded angrily as I returned his glare briefly until I noticed a certain mess of green hair coming up behind him.

"Kacchan, y-you really shouldn't call a teacher a hag-" it was at this point his eyes met mine and they widened with excitement and nervousness, "Mrs. Yagi?! What are you doing here?! Not that it's not great to see you… Uh, right! Good afternoon, Mrs. Yagi!"

With an anxious bow from Toshi's protege, I had to hold my hand up to stop his muttering that would inevitably ruin the surprise. As this whole set of interactions was occuring, the rest of Class 1-A was quickly filing in and taking their seats, having lots of side conversations and confused expressions sent my way when they realized Aizawa was not the one at the podium.

"Enough! Go to your seats, and I'll explain when the whole class is here!" I ordered with a stern expression on my face, causing all the students to do as I said without question, minus some irritated grumblings from Bakugo. A few more students trickled in until finally a head of familiar red and white hair walked through the door and heterochromatic eyes met my emerald ones.

"Aunt Rose? What are you doing here?" Shoto asked in confusion causing the entire class to yell out "AUNT?!" in shock. Ignoring them, I saw my perfect opportunity to solve my attendance situation.

"Hey Shoto. I'll explain in a minute, but first I need your help really quick," I told him as I showed him the attendance sheet and explained to him in English what I needed so the other students wouldn't know that I was struggling with the Kanji. While Shoto worked on this, I turned to address and introduce myself to the rest of the class.

"To answer your questions, my name is Yagi Rose. I was asked by Principal Nezu and my husband to come help with your class today," I informed them earning some curious looks when I mentioned the word 'husband' before turning my glare towards a certain ash blonde, "Also, Bakugo, I'd strongly advise against calling me a hag again."

By the end of my introduction, Shoto had finished translating the attendance for me, and I did a quick check to make sure I wasn't missing any students. Thankfully, the attendance was also a seating chart which meant I wouldn't have to ask each student their name. The blue haired boy from earlier I now knew to be Iida based on the seating chart raised his hand and began to speak intensely.

"Forgive my rudeness, but being married to a faculty member does not qualify you to teach us!" he informed me, clearly upset at the idea of having a subpar teacher. He was clearly very passionate about his education which I appreciated, so instead of scolding him I laughed out loud and gave him a smirk.

"You are 100% correct, Iida-kun; however, being a pro-hero with a teaching license does qualify me to teach you guys," I countered earning a polite bow and apology from the astute boy before he sat down at his desk.

"You've gotta be shitting me! You're just a plain English teacher!" Bakugo yelled angrily from his seat earning another glare from me. This time, I let my quirk activate as I glared at the explosive boy, causing my eyes to turn white as flaming wings sprouted from my back.

"She's the Angelic Pro Hero: Lady Icarys!" a black haired girl I saw according to the seating chart was named Momoshiro pointed out earning surprised gasps from the class.

"No fucking way," Bakugo growled, and my glare intensified as my wings spread further a bit and started to turn blue in places.

"I would NOT push me, _Kacchan,_" I growled back before smirking at his obvious irritation at my reference to his nickname from Izuku, "My husband isn't here at the moment to stop me from kicking your ass." He started to bark back an argument, but my staff showed up and my wings began to span the whole room making him stand down before I deactivated my quirk. The students began whispering about who my husband could possibly be, but Shoto and Izuku stayed quiet. _Smart boys_.

"Alright, Class 1-A, now, Nezu asked me to come to your class today to give you all some firsthand insight into an important and often overlooked aspect of being a hero," I announced loudly, signalling the class to stop the needless chatter which they thankfully did. Izuku raised his hand nervously and I acknowledged him with a nod.

"And what would that be, Lady Icarys-Sensei?" Izuku asked, his eyes shining at the potential new information. I gave him a sad smile and took a deep breath as I uttered words that would lead to me once again reliving a past I wanted to forget.

"Victim Psychology."

Song: Remember the Name by Ed Sheeran (feat. 50 Cent and Eminem)


	25. Ch 24: The Victim with a Hero's Heart

As soon as the words "victim psychology" came out of my mouth, Class 1-A had a sea of different reactions. Some were quite receptive and seemed ready to take in the information while others began to look very uncomfortable with hitting such a heavy topic so early in their education. Shoto's face in particular went from stoic to a more hardened, dark expression. He was the only student in this room that knew my story up until now. I had requested that Toshinori not tell Izuku and that I would explain it when I felt the time was right. _Welp. No time like the present I guess._

"Alright. So I'm gonna start off with telling you the story of a girl who experienced a horrendous villain attack," I began, not sure if I wanted to let them know that it was my story I was telling quite yet,

"There was a villain attack in the U.S. about 6 years back. The only victims were a family of 3. There was a husband, a wife, and a daughter who had just turned two years old. The husband and daughter were killed instantly by the villain in a sudden attack. The wife was left alive and underwent such stress that her quirk activated, and she blacked out.

When she came to, the villain had disappeared, and she was surrounded by nothing but the bodies of her two family members and the military soldiers that were surrounding her like a criminal. She was informed that quirks were illegal in the U.S., and anyone found to have a quirk had two options: defect to a quirk-friendly country, like Japan, or become essentially a human weapon for the U.S. military.

The wife was given almost no time to make this decision as the military had already informed their extended families of the husband and daughter's deaths and that a funeral had already been set up for 2 days from now. Until then, the wife was to be taken into custody and was not allowed to be with their extended families-"

"But they can't do that!"

"No one could possibly be that cruel!"

"This story is bullshit!" At Bakugo's comment, my temper flared along with my quirk activating, causing my wings to sprout from my back and my eyes turned white in anger.

"I would suggest not interrupting me again. And Bakugo, I will address your little comment at the end," I snarled, irritated as I tried not to let my emotions on the subject show too much, and I noticed I was not succeeding as much as I hoped to when I saw Shoto's concerned expression. He had never heard this part of the story.

"Anyways that's where I will end this story here to ask a question regarding the topic at hand: What was wrong with how this situation was handled?" I asked, unsure I could continue talking too much more in depth about the events without breaking a bit. I was starting to see Santosh and Isha's bodies vividly in the front of my mind, and it was starting to get to me.

"Yes! The U.S. military did nothing to guarantee the mental stability of the wife in this situation! They could have sent someone who was seriously disturbed to another country without the ability to cope!" Iida announced with a hand raised causing me to quirk an eyebrow at him as I looked around for other answers. I saw Izuku raise his hand shyly, and I called on him.

"Well, the woman was not given time to grieve or provided resources to help her cope with the loss. She was immediately treated as a case and a liability, not a human being who had just gone through a traumatic loss. I mean she lost her two closest family members, including her child, to a villain out of nowhere. I don't know that anyone would have any idea how to handle something like that," Izuku explained carefully, as I saw pain he reflected in his eyes. He was really empathizing with the person in the story even though he had no idea who it was. I fought back tears that were starting to threaten to form in my eyes as Bakugo of course had a smart ass question that I couldn't avoid.

"If this bitch's story is true, then what's her name? I still call bullshit on this whole story!" Bakugo yelled angrily, "Besides, how is it our problem if some whiny bitch in a hypothetical story can't handle some fake loss? This is obviously a fake worst case scenario with no fucking solution." I glared at this as a low voice answered from behind me.

"The woman's name was Chandrudu Rose, but nowadays, she goes by the name Yagi Rose," Aizawa's lazy voice answered from behind me. I turned to shoot him a glare as I saw him stepping out of his sleeping bag before turning to see the mix of shocked, guilty, and pitying faces of Class 1-A. Bakugo especially looked for a lack of a better word. devastated. Izuku actually started to tear up as he let out a gasp of realization. I sighed as I decided to just handle the issue face on.

"He's telling the truth. The two killed in that attack were my husband and daughter, Santosh and Isha Chandrudu. I was forced to come to Japan after my quirk activated and did everything I could to pretend the attack never happened. Santosh and I's families were both led to believe that I was somehow responsible for their deaths, so I have been disowned by both. My name was changed to Tsukibara Kaera, and I came to Japan and did my master's degrees before becoming a teacher at Aldera Junior High," I continued, trying to keep my voice even,

"Once I moved to Musutafu, I was held hostage in a bank robbery and activated my quirk in self-defense, causing the robber to panic and shoot me. I was taken here to be healed by Recovery Girl, and I was given the opportunity to train with Endeavor, Hawks, and Aizawa-sensei here to learn how to control my quirk. I eventually got the hang of it and with a lot of intense teaching from Aizawa, I was able to pass my Hero Licensing Exam on my first try.

During that time, I was adopted into the Todoroki family as Endeavor's younger sister legally since Endeavor is the head of the family which allowed me to change my first name back to Rose. Then, I got married to my now husband which is where my current last name comes from. Now I work for the Endeavor hero agency full time and will be helping as needed with my husband and Aizawa's classes." I took a deep breath at finally finishing this topic. To my surprise, the red headed boy the seating chart labeled as Kirishima stood up flexing an arm.

"Man, Lady Icarys-Sensei, that is manly as hell that you're still fighting after all of that!" he exclaimed with a sharky grin earning a small smile from me as well as a slight chuckle. Much of the class echoed his sentiments with nods and verbal "yeah"s. It was sweet.

"You're amazing, Icarys-Sensei! Now, will you tell us who your husband is?!" Mina, a pink skin and haired girl asked excitedly. I smiled at this slightly, not feeling very sure if I wanted to reveal that information without Toshinori present. I was starting to feel quite anxious from retelling those memories from my past, and it was taking its toll on me. I really needed him to be with me again soon. Sensing my unease, Aizawa spoke up, telling them to knock it off with the personal questions before taking over the educating part.

"It's important for all of you to understand that most victims are not as resilient as Yagi-san is," Aizawa pointed out before continuing, "Iida had a good point when he mentioned that the military should have been concerned about her mental stability after undergoing such a violent attack. If you ask me, Yagi-san's drive and resilience proved that she had what it took to be a hero long before she ever came to Japan and got her hero's license. She did not allow herself to remain a victim for long."

His words stunned me as well as the whole of the class into silence. Despite only having him as teacher for a day, even they realized that Aizawa was not one to give out compliments easily. He turned and gave me a small smirk that the students couldn't see. The room remained silent for a moment as everyone kind of took time to allow all the information they had just been confronted with set in. That is until everyone's favorite blonde hero came marching through the door in a red blue and yellow costume with a briefcase in his hand.

"I am coming through the door like a normal person!" Toshinori, now in his All Might form, announced with a huge smile on his face causing me to giggle at his sillyness and obvious nervousness. At the sound of my giggling, Toshinori's radiant smile is then directed at me as I hear Aizawa click his tongue in annoyance before returning to his sleeping bag. Without hesitation, Toshinori walks up to me and wraps one of his bulging arms around my waist and pulls me to his side.

"Ah! Young heroes, I see you've all met my beautiful wife!" he boomed, his smile growing even wider than before causing me to blush a bit at his compliment and obvious pride in calling me his wife in front of so many people while in his hero form. The man beside me was great at feeling confident while in his hero form, but he still struggled with feeling good enough when in his normal form, no matter how many times I told him I preferred him as Toshinori.

"You're married to ALL MIGHT?!" the whole class, minus Izuku and Shoto, were in complete and utter shock. As the students were all freaking out, Toshinori leaned closer to me and spoke to me in a low voice that only I could hear.

"Dear, Nezu wants to speak with you now. It's very important and can't wait, so I can manage the class on my own," he said softly, and I looked up at him with a reassuring smile.

"I know you can. I don't doubt you for a second, Toshi," I assured him softly before turning to the class who were still chatting excitedly at the new information as I yelled out over them getting them all to quiet down, "Yep! I'm married to the number 1 hero! Now, I gotta take my leave! Y'all have fun and take it easy on All Might for me, will ya?"

After the confirmed and shocked nods I got from most of the class, I grabbed Toshi's hand discreetly and gave it one last encouraging squeeze before heading out the door to meet with the fur ball that ran this fine establishment, blushing at the chorus of awwws from the small group of girls in Class 1-A. _Good luck, Toshi._ I thought to myself as I walked towards Nezu's office. _You're gonna need it with this rambunctious group._

Song: Sunrise by Our Last Night

**A/N- What?! Two updates on this story in two days after two weeks of radio silence on this?! I will say I suddenly felt motivation to write these two chapters, but it will probably be a bit before I get to update again (maybe a week or two). I am moving apartments this weekend, and with this whole quarantine thing and my daughter just turning 1 year old, I have a lot on my plate. I will do my best to work on this story as I am slowly but surely getting more ideas for it. Thanks to all of you who have been patient and supportive of this story despite my less than consistent updating lately! Love you all! 3 Taeha**


	26. Ch 25: New Opportunities & Insecurities

-Rose's POV-

After leaving Class 1-A, I made my way over to Principal Nezu's office. Once reaching there, I gave a sharp couple of knocks on the door before opening it when I heard the ever chipper voice of the rodent administrator say "come in!" As I entered the room, the smell of chamomile tea filled my nose as I approached the plush chair beside the couch where the principal was seated with steaming tea ready.

"Thank you," I said graciously as I took a small sip of the hot beverage before getting down to business, "So why did you want to meet with me?" The rodent in front of me chuckled before becoming serious.

"Straight to the point as always, Rose-chan. You could stand to loosen up a little bit and take things day by day more often," he scolded gently causing me to roll my eyes.

"Life is too short to waste time with useless frivolities and small talk," I replied bluntly. I would only deal with those when the situation absolutely demanded, and now was not one of those times. Nezu let out an exasperated sigh before giving me a small smile.

"I suppose you have reason to feel that way more than just about anyone else here," he admitted with a sad smile before going back to his usual positive and happy tone, "Anyhow, the reason I called you here is because I want to offer you a teaching position here at U.A. All Might has informed me that you already resigned from your previous position, but that you have a passion for education." I looked at him quizzically.

"What would I be qualified to teach at the top hero school in Japan? Mic teaches English already," I responded skeptically. Don't get me wrong. I'd love to work at U.A., but it just didn't seem realistic for me to teach here. Plus, I was paranoid that I was being offered the position because of my marriage to Toshinori, and accepting any offer as a result of that would hurt my pride too much.

"Ah. No, it wouldn't be English, though it would definitely help to have an adequate substitute for when he was sick or had hero work to do," Nezu explained before continuing when he realized I wasn't going to interrupt him, "I have an idea for a new class that I would like to have become a part of our curriculum here at U.A. It's a part of hero education that has been neglected by almost all the hero schools here in Japan. It'll take me about a month to rearrange the schedule if you're interested in the position. I'd like to teach you a course called Victim and Civilian Management since you have the unique situation of being experienced as both the victim and the hero."

I blanched at his blunt words and fought back the painful memories that screamed to resurface as I decided to do something I learned from Toshinori. I smiled, even though I felt like breaking down. I gave a kind and polite smile and nod. While I didn't appreciate Nezu bringing that up so nonchalantly, he did have a point. Well he had several points. I was passionate about teaching, and I was a unique case. The information I could provide these students could be the different between life and death for victims. Not at the time of an attack necessarily, but I had experienced the effects of first responders not being adequate at handling a victim. It would be difficult, but I convinced myself that maybe this way, Isha and Santosh's death would be able to save others. That thought is what ultimately pushed me to make my decision.

"Alright. I'll accept the position, Principal Nezu. Thank you very much," I accepted as I stood up with a deep bow and a determined smile, "For the opportunity and the tea." Nezu returned my smile and dismissed me with a small wave telling me I would start a week from today. I nodded before leaving and taking a deep breath before going to find the ray of sunshine that is my husband. I glanced at my phone to see the time and noticed that class should have already ended so I walked towards the gate to wait for him.

As I approached the gate, I saw Izuku with his arm in a cast and Bakugo and couldn't help but internally groan. Those two together can only mean trouble, especially with Izuku struggling with his confidence and controlling OFA. My eyes widened as I got closer and heard the greenette tell Bakugo that his quirk was given to him, and it took all my will power not to knock that little moron out with quirk staff. Instead, I put a hand on his shoulder causing him to jump and look back at me with a slight fear in his eyes when he met mine that were no doubt a blazing white at this point from me trying to control my quirk. I could feel my hand heating up on his shoulder, and I allowed it to, being sure to not let it get hot enough to actually hurt him.

"Sorry, Katsuki, but Imma have to steal Izuku for a bit. He'll see you around," I state with a fake smile as I turned around pulling Izuku with me right as I heard the booming voice of my husband in his hero form calling out "Young Bakugo". _Awesome. Let Toshinori deal with the anger management hedgehog. This will give me time to be blunt with his little protege without him stepping in to coddle him._ With that thought, I led Izuku to a part of the training grounds that was out of sight of others. I let my hand heat up even more, still not enough to injure him, but it was definitely hot enough to be uncomfortable and to make him sweat.

"Um… Mrs. Yagi… Your hand… It's-" Izuku started before freezing in fear as he allowed his eyes to meet mine, letting me know that my eyes were most likely now completely white as well as the violent intent and thoughts I was fighting with when I heard him so close to revealing Toshinori's secret.

"Do you have any idea the amount of danger you could have just put Toshinori in?" I growled angrily allowing my wings to flare out a bit so that my hand would not heat up too much to the point where it hurt him. I had to release the angry heat out somehow, and this was the best option I could come up with at the moment.

"W-Well… I I… K-kacchan was so a-angry, and I-I just w-wanted him to understand…" he stuttered back in response as I cut him off before he could continue, my wings now flaming to a blue flame and growing out in response to my anger.

"So your friend's feeling are more important than the life of the number 1 pro hero?" Izuku pales at this question.

"N-No! That' not what I was saying at all! Of course I care about All Might's safety!" he cried, tears welling up in his eyes as he tore away from my grip and backed away with his good hand up defensively.

"…Well you sure have a shitty way of showing it," I responded, my voice cold and angry as I felt my emotions beginning to overwhelm me. It was then that I heard a deep voice ring out that caused my heart to flutter and a bit of guilt to surface in my sea of emotions.

"That's enough, Rose. He's just a child. He's still learning, and he had good intentions," Toshinori stated, the dissapointment evident to me in his voice before I ever turned around and saw it reflecting in his ocean blue eyes. He was in his regular form, and while I preferred him in this form, as he coughed blood roughly into his hand, I was reminded of his growing vulnerability and my anger as well as my stubbornness flared.

"Good intentions have fuck all to do with results. He needs to learn that lesson, and I don't want that lesson to be you getting injured or killed," I spat back angrily, ignoring the devastated expression on Izuku's face. He was a good kid, but I would pull no punches in ensuring Toshinori's safety. What I wasn't expecting was a glare to come across my husband's seemingly permanently happy face. That probably hurt more than anything else.

"Enough, Rose," his glare combined with his stern tone effectively stunned me into silence before he turned to Izuku with a much softer expression.

"I-I'm so sorry, All Might! I just-" the young boy started rambling with large tears in his eyes.

"It's alright, Young Midoriya!" Toshinori assured him with a comforting smile on his face, "Young Bakugo didn't seem to take your words seriously, but please do be more careful from now on. You could be in great danger if the wrong person were to find out about One For All." Izuku looked up at him in awe and with a tearful smile as he nodded.

"Of course! Thank you so much, All Might! It won't happen again, I swear!" he cried out causing me to click my tongue in annoyance at the coddling Toshinori was giving him. I spread my wings out, letting them fade to white as I took to the sky to get home, not letting them see the tears that were steaming off of my cheeks.

-Time Skip to Home (Still Rose's POV)-

As soon as I reached home, I had begun to prepare dinner for Toshinori and I. In order to try and get out my anger and stress in the most productive way possible, I had made a pretty big spread, and it would probably feed us for a couple of days. There was miso soup, onigiri stuffed with salted salmon, and for dessert, apple cinnamon muffins. Toshinori came in as I was shaping the onigiri. I ignored him as he came in and immediately approached the elephant in the room.

"Rose, you cannot act that aggressively with Young Midoriya! He's just a child. He's also your student. You can't use your quirk on him like that. I know you didn't technically hurt him, but that was not okay!" he scolded before sighing in frustration when I continued shaping onigiri and ignoring him. Seconds later, strong, thin arms wrapped around me from behind me and pulled me against my husband's warm, taught chest. He bent down to where his head was resting on my shoulder and spoke softly next to my ear.

"What's wrong, Rose? It's not like you to snap like that. I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong," he soothed, his low voice soft and caring, the irritation from earlier completely gone it. Tears filled my eyes as I felt myself began to shake slightly. I placed the onigiri I was shaping down and wiped the remaining sticky rice from my hands with a wet cloth before turning to face Toshinori, the tears now streaming down my cheeks.

I explained to him everything about what had been building up inside me for over a month now. I told him about the night terrors returning while I was helping Hawks in Kyushu.

"I'm so scared I'm going to lose you Toshinori. Every day it seems to be getting worse and worse, and I can't get the fear out of my head. I can't handle losing someone like that. I just can't…," At that admission, I pulled him to me by his collar and crashed my lips into his in a desperate and needy kiss. He reciprocated my kiss before gently pulling away and kissing me on the forehead.

"I'm not going anywhere, my love. I promise," he murmured sweetly, his lips still against my forehead. While his words were comforting, I wanted more. I _needed_ more. Losing any sense of self consciousness or fear of rejection, I pressed my body flush against his and looked up at him, my emerald green eyes surely reflecting the desperation I was feeling.

"Toshinori, I know you've had a really long day, but… I need to be close to you… I need you, Toshinori… Please," I begged with pleading eyes as he gave me a warm smile, his eyes beginning to reflect the same need that I had as he gently grasped my chin and pulled me into a deep, passionate kiss that made my knees weak. I felt my heart skip a beat even as he pulled away and gave me a sweet smile.

"Of course, my dear."

Song: Toxic Thoughts by Faith Marie

**A/N:**

**Next chapter will be a LEMON. Don't likey don't readey.**

**I'm back :) I finally finished moving and getting settled so I should be able to update more often now :) Thanks for everyone who has patiently waited for me to update on this story. Like I said I will try and update more often. Thank you all again. :) 3**


	27. Ch 26: Comfort in Intimacy

**A/N:**

**This is your final warning. Below is a lemon. There may be some emotional stuff in there, but you won't miss anything in the plot. The only info that might matter lately is that Rose is quite self conscious about her body because she has had a baby before and has lots of stretch marks and some scars from her anxiety causing her to obsessively pick at her skin.**

-Rose's POV-

In seconds, Toshinori had picked me up by my thighs causing me to let out a surprised squeak as I clung to him and he crashed his thin lips into mine and carried me to our bedroom. As soon as we reach the bedroom, he places me gently on the bed before breaking the kiss and looking down at me with lust and passion in his eyes that made me blush. I put my hands under his shirt, tracing his toned muscles with my fingertips earning me a slight shiver from the blonde hero above me.

From me tugging at his shirt, he quickly got the message and lifted his shirt over his head, his expression slightly less confident as his scar from the fight with All For One was put on full display. This was something he struggled with every time we were intimate, and not wanting to give him time to feel self conscious, I brazenly pulled my own shirt over my head revealing me in just my simple pale blue bra. As his ocean blue eyes traced my body, I began to feel a bit self conscious. Being pregnant and giving birth to Isha had left my body scarred with pink stretch marks that had faded over the years but were still very visible.

Warm lips latched onto my neck as Toshinori went straight for my weak spot, right where he knew he would get the biggest reaction out of me as he kissed an sucked and nipped gently, earning a quiet moan from me as he marked me as his. Not wanting to let him have all the control, I put my hands on his chest and pushed gently causing him to pull back and look at me, concerned that I had stopped him. I blushed and gave him a small smile.

"I want to be on top for now," I admitted with a shy smile causing him to blush and cough slightly into his arm as he just nodded before laying back on the bed. Deciding to tease him a bit, I started kissing down his chest until I reached the waistband of his pants where I was met with a very obvious tent. Frankly, Toshinori was over 7 ft tall, and was just a large guy overall minus his weight loss from his injury, so he was quite um… Well-endowed in that area as well. I placed soft kisses over his clothed member and I felt him twitch in anticipation as he let out a mix between and moan and a frustrated groan.

"Rose, don't tease me," he begged causing me to let out a small giggle, as I removed his pants and boxers simultaneously allowing his large erection to spring free. After throwing his pants and boxers to the floor, I crawled my way back and began kissing up and down Toshinori's length before bringing as much of it as I could and swirling my tongue around the tip earning a deep moan from my blonde lover that drove me absolutely crazy. His hand entangled its way into my strawberry blonde hair as he firmly tugged me up and off of his length. As my emerald eyes met his ocean blue ones, I saw lust clouding his gaze as he gave me a lustful smile.

"As good as you are with that mouth, my dear, I don't want to finish without making love to you first," he stated huskily as he sat up and grabbed my waist before flipping me to where I laid flat on the bed and started fumbling with my bra earning a teasing giggle from me.

"Need some help?" I teased as I reached back and unclasped the bra in one go before shrugging it completely off, leaving my complete upper body bare under his gaze. His only response was to lean down without warning and take my left nipple into his mouth, sucking and swirling his tongue in a way that he knew would drive me absolutely wild. I moaned as he used his left hand to start teasing my right nipple in time with his mouth before he suddenly stopped and in one swift motion removed my pants and panties, leaving me completely exposed.

I hissed as the cold air hit my heated core, but the hiss turned into a moan almost immediately as Toshinori began rubbing his tip against my entrance. As he was doing so, his eyes traveled my whole exposed body making me feel very self conscious as I began to try and cover myself with my hands. He shook his head and grabbed my hands before pinning them on either side of my head.

"Rose, my love, you don't need to feel self conscious," he soothed as he slowly entered me without warning causing me to gasp at his size and let out a soft whimper of embarrassment and need, "You're the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on." I felt all the heat rush to my face as Toshinori sheathed himself in my hot core to where our hips touched. My emerald green eyes met his gorgeous ocean blue ones before our lips met in a hot, passionate kiss and he began to slowly thrust into me. As we separated for air, Toshinori looked at me, his eyes full of nothing but pleasure and adoration as he cupped my cheek and slowly rocked into me.

"I love you so much, my dear Rose," he declared, his voice deep and husky with lust and sincerity. I gasped in pleasure as he suddenly slammed into me without warning.

"I love you too, Toshinori," I responded with a loving smile of my own before moaning as lust began to overtake me, "Please go faster, Toshi. Pound me into this be until you're the only thing I can feel." If I wasn't so desperate for release I would have been embarrassed by my words, but Toshinori's response left me no room for embarrassment or time to dwell on it.

"With pleasure," he all but growled as he was suddenly thrusting into me hard and fast earning moans and the occasional scream of his name from me. Just as I was getting close, he pulled out, and I whined at the loss of contact that is until he flipped me over, quickly but gently, putting me on my hands and knees. Then, he immediately began thrusting into me from behind causing the knot in my stomach to explode within in minutes.

"TOSHINORI!" I screamed his name as I saw white. I felt him thrust a couple of more times before I felt the warmth of his seed entering me and causing me to squirm a bit as he rode out his own orgasm before pulling out and us both collapsing onto the bed.

I felt his arms wrap around me and pull me to him as I turned and nuzzled my head into his chest. He place a soft and comforting kiss on my forehead as we both cuddled, enjoying the high levels of euphoria that always occurred post sex for us.

"I love you so much, Mrs. Rose Yagi," Toshinori murmured as he placed a gently kiss on the shell of my ear, "I won't leave you, I promise." I nuzzled even more into his neck.

"I love you too, Toshinori Yagi," I murmured in return as I slipped into a peaceful sleep, safe in the arms of my hero lover.

Song: Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding

**A/N:**

**Alright Imma go bathe in holy water or something now. Peace out yall. Back to our main story line next chapter. :) 3**


	28. Ch 27: Fear From the Past

-Rose's POV-

The weeks leading up to me starting at UA had been hectic to say the least. Not to mention, I had started to feel tired more easily and nauseous, especially in the mornings. Some days were so bad that I would actually throw up, but I had been trying to relax Toshi by convincing him that the sudden job change and all the new changes had been causing my anxiety to spike a little bit which caused my acid reflux to act up. He took that explanation, but I had a sinking feeling as to what was really wrong.

For weeks, I had refused to acknowledge my suspicions and just acted like what I had told my overly trusting husband was the truth. However, a couple of days ago during a patrol with Enji-nii, I had a bad bout of nausea and ended up running into a nearby alleyway to throw up in a trashcan earning a concerned expression from the flame hero, though to most people, he just looked pissed off.

As a result, Enji-nii had called and set up an appointment with the Todoroki doctor and told me to be at the Todoroki estate first thing this morning to get checked out. He was going to send the doctor to mine and Toshinori's apartment, but I insisted it be somewhere else because I didn't want to stress my doting husband anymore than he already was being both the number one pro hero and a new teacher.

Nii-san had rolled his eyes at this but relented and agreed to have me just come to the estate after Shoto left so he wouldn't mention it to Toshinori. I had originally insisted I didn't need a doctor, but Enji blackmailed me, threatening to tell Toshinori that I had been sick for weeks and not telling him. At that point, I gave in and we came to the agreement that led me to where I am today: sitting in a spare room in the Todoroki estate with Enji-nii and the family doctor as the doctor looked over my blood work. My phone buzzed, and I glanced down to see a message from my husband.

_Toshi 3:_ I hope you are feeling better. Meet us at the USJ for training today if you feel up to it. I love you.

_Rose:_ Thanks. I'll be there I'm sure in a bit. I gotta push myself beyond my limits ya know ;)

I smiled and sighed happily just imagining the chuckle I'm sure that earned. Anytime I actually reference going beyond or plus ultra, it makes us both think back to the beginning of us getting together and makes us laugh.

"So I assume this is good news for you then. That's great!" the doctor said with a relieved smile as Enji-Nii looked just completely conflicted between being pissed and happy. I gave them a confused expression.

"What news?" I asked, not having heard anything the doctor had said. The old man looked taken aback and Nii-san full on facepalmed. The doctor quickly cleared his throat regaining his composure.

"Ah… Mrs. Yagi, I said congratulations. You are pregnant!" the doctor repeated with a kind smile, and I swore my heart stopped as a flood of conflicting emotions invaded my mind coming out as tears flowing from my eyes.

"I-I'm gonna have a baby?" I managed to choke out, and I caught Enji-nii's sympathetic and concerned expression. He knew about my past and didn't know how I would react to being pregnant. The doctor nodded and handed me a small stack of papers.

"This is a list of the top OBGYN's in the area as well as a prescription for prenatal pills. Also, you should know you're about 4 weeks along. Is this your first pregnancy?" he asked, typing away in the computer to input all of my medical history. His question made me freeze as Enji-nii snarled at him to leave it and that I could put all the information in the paperwork before sending the doctor on his way. When Enji-nii returned, I was still in the same spot staring at the paperwork in my hand, tears streaming down my face and clouding my vision. Clearly uncomfortable with the situation, he pulled me into an awkward hug.

"Do you want me to call the big blonde oaf?" he asked, his voice gruff but softer than usual earning a small laugh from me as I jokingly hit his chest.

"Don't call him that. He's the father of your future niece or nephew," I teased trying to make light of the gravity of the news I had just received earning a disapproving look from the flame hero, "And I'll go tell him in person. They are training at the USJ today." He nodded and went into a room for a couple of minutes, his phone to his ear. In minutes, he was back beside me in his hero costume and held out a hand to me.

"Come on. My driver will take us to the USJ," he instructed and cut me off when I opened my mouth to protest, "Even if people don't know that you are married to that oaf, you carrying his child could potentially make you a target. Plus, you've been dealing with morning sickness and I have a sneaking suspicion you would put off getting that prescription filled. So I'm going to drop you off at USJ. End of story." At that, I couldn't help but smile and nod before letting my smile morph into a smirk as I decided to tease the overprotective hero.

"Awww is Enji-oji-san already becoming protective?" I teased as he just clicked his tongue and gave me a half-hearted glare before looking to the side.

"No, but Enji-nii-san is," he muttered under his breath causing me to cackle with laughter as I jumped and gave him a hug.

"Hey! Be careful! You're pregnant! You shouldn't be jumping around like that!" he scolded in a slight panic earning an even bigger laugh from me.

"I'm pregnant. Not crippled. Relax. I've been pregnant before. I got this," I assured with a smile before looking up to the sky as we walked outside to the car. _Thank you, Isha. I'll be sure to protect your little sibling and give them the life I wish I had been able to give you._

On the way to the USJ, I had texted Toshinori several times and even tried calling, but I had gotten no response causing me to worry as a bad feeling started to build in my gut. Enji-nii tried to assure me that he was sure everything was fine and that Toshinori was probably just busy teaching, but I couldn't shake that bad feeling. To keep myself calm, I wrote it off as hormones. That is until we pulled up to the USJ to see it blocked off and being swarmed by the other teachers and pro heroes from UA.

My ears began to ring, as I jumped out of the car as soon as it had stopped. Enji-nii may have told me to stop, but I couldn't hear. My mind was on one thing. _Please let Toshinori be okay_. As I reached the caution tape, I ducked under it and when police officers tried to stop me, I pushed past them until I was able to get into the building. What I saw made my heart stop.

The ground was littered with knocked out villains. Aizawa was in a bloody heap on the floor and was being put on a stretcher by paramedics with Mic looking like he was trying to hold himself together. I felt for him, but my priorities were elsewhere. My panicked emerald green eyes scanned the building, noticing that all of the students seemed to be present and uninjured until I finally saw Izuku running towards Toshinori who was bleeding profusely from an injury where his scar was and steaming.

_Wait… STEAMING? Shit! There are still students here! _At that thought, my quirk activated as a reflex and I flew over to him just as Cementoss put up cement walls around us, blocking the view of Toshinori from the others as he went back to his normal form. I flew over to him, my feet just skimming the ground as I threw my arms around him in a panic. I felt him flinch as I pulled back with tears running down my face and began expecting his injuries, the ringing in my ears finally starting to die down as I realize that while he was pretty beat up, none of his injuries looked life threatening.

"Rose, dear, I'm okay. Don't worry. I'm okay," Toshinori murmured soothingly as I looked up at him with tear filled eyes as I felt the panic I had began to take its toll on me as my legs began to shake.

"Th-that was too close… You pushed it too far!.. You can't leaveuslikethat," I tried to scold but ended up slurring my words as my world went black.

I awoke to the smell of disinfectant and a stark white ceiling. My eyes shot open and I sat up quickly as I remembered everything that had happened. My eyes darted around the room until I saw Toshinori and Izuku bandaged up in hospital beds talking with Toshinori's friend, Detective Tsukauchi.

Not caring about the other two in the room at the moment, I jumped up and immediately sat on Toshi's bed, wrapping my arms around his neck, my body trembling from the stress of the days events. Immediately, I felt the blonde hero rubbing soothing circles on my back as he asked the other two if we could have a moment to speak alone. They both agreed and Tsukauchi helped Izuku in exiting the room. As soon as they're out of the room, Toshinori placed a comforting kiss on my forehead and began speaking softly to me.

"Rose, my dear, I promise I'm okay," he soothed gently, "Try and calm down, love. You don't want to have another panic attack like that." I nodded shakily and took a few deep breaths before pulling away to look more closely at his injuries as I gently grasped his face in my hands as I felt my eyes tear up for what had to be the 100th time that day.

"Toshi, you have to be more careful! I can't handle losing you… I need you…" I lamented sadly before saying much softer, "W-we need you." Toshinori gave me one of his 100 watt smiles.

"Don't worry. I won't leave you and Young Midori-" he started to comfort, but I cut him off with a shake of my head and anguish in my heart about what I was going to tell him.

"I'm not talking about Izuku, Toshinori! I'm saying that you need to be here for me and…" I struggled to get the words out. My blonde husband looked at me in confusion.

"And?" he encouraged me to continue. I took a deep, shaky breath before meeting his confused ocean blue eyes.

"Our child, Toshi..." I finally managed to get out, and his eyes went wide.

"Our child?! Y-you mean… Rose… You're…?" he stuttered, trying to get the words out. _Notification: has stopped working._ I let out a strained laugh at how confused he was before nodding with teary eyes and a nervous smile.

"Yes. Our child. I'm 4 weeks pregnant. You're going to be a father, Toshinori-" as soon as the words left my mouth, he had captured my lips in a sweet and loving kiss. He pulled away shortly with the biggest smile I had ever seen stretched across his face as his eyes met mine and his large hand splayed across my stomach as he spoke towards my still flat stomach.

"Hi there, little one. You have helped your mother once again make me the happiest man alive," Toshinori stated happily as he placed a kiss on my stomach earning a smile from me. Once he finished his little talk with our tiny unborn child, he sat back up and pulled me securely into his chest and pressed a firm and sweet kiss on the crown of my head.

"Thank you so much, my dear. I love you and our child both so much," he said sincerely as I nuzzled into his neck and placed a kiss on his collar bone, since that was the only place I could really reach.

"I love you to, Toshi… So much," I murmured into his collar bone as we cuddled up just as the door opened to reveal Tsukauchi helping Izuku come back in.

"Is everything alright, All Might?" Izuku questioned worriedly. I could practically feel Toshinori's chest puff up with pride as he announced to the two with a boisterous voice.

"Yes! Better than alright actually! Rose and I are going to have a baby!" he announced and I could hear the pride in his voice as I facepalmed and pinched his arm earning a surprised noise from him as he looked at me.

"Be careful announcing that, Toshi. The pregnancy is still in its early stage. So we should be selective in who knows about this," I lectured him as he looked at me with an apologetic smile but he didn't back down.

"It's alright! Only Young Midoriya and Tsukauchi know," he comforted with a smile. At that, I smirked a bit as I told him news that I knew would make him be at least a little nervous.

"Actually, them and Enji-nii know," I corrected earning me the expression I was expecting as his face paled a bit.

"Endeavor knows?..." Toshinori asked nervously, and I nodded and gave him an apologetic smile.

"He's the one who made me go to the doctor. I got sick on a patrol the other day, so he called the family doctor and had him do my check up at the Todoroki estate this morning. I was going to tell you, but I didn't want you to worry about it," I admitted with an apologetic smile. He pulled me close to him and kissed me sweetly on the forehead.

"It's okay. I'm glad there's at least someone you'll listen to about your health," Toshinori conceded as we were interrupted by a stuttering Izuku who seemed to finally get over his shock.

"Um.. C-Congratulations, All Might, Mrs. Yagi! I'm sure you'll both be amazing parents!" he expressed with a big nervous smile as his eyes met mine, obviously not forgetting our interaction from a couple of weeks back. Not wanting him to fear me anymore and realizing I might have gone a bit overboard, I gave him a kind smile.

"Yeah, but the little one will need an awesome older brother figure in their life too. Think you can manage that, Izuku?" I questioned with a quirked brow and a small smirk. At that question, everyone's favorite cinnamon roll started to tear up and gave me a huge smile.

"O-Of course, Mrs. Yagi! I-I'd be honored!" he exclaimed loudly and I flinched a bit with a small laugh.

"For the millionth time, Izuku, just Rose is fine," I reminded light-heartedly as I felt Toshinori pull me closer and speak softly in my ear words that made my heart nearly burst and let me decide that I would not let fear from the past ruin the happiness of my present.

"Thank you, my dear. I know you'll be a fantastic mother to our little one. Plus our little one will have a guardian angel older sister too. And I'll be here the whole time. I love you."

Song: Two of Us by Louis Tomlinson


	29. Ch 28: Telling Others

-Rose's POV-

In the few days since finding out that I was pregnant, Toshinori had been getting more and more protective of me. On one hand, it was endearing and sweet. On the other hand, I had been pregnant before and I did not enjoy being treated like I couldn't do anything for myself. Not wanting to ruin this experience for Toshinori, I did my best not to snap about it, and instead, suggested that we should tell the rest of the of the faculty at U.A. That way, I would have more people looking out for me, and he could relax a bit. And now was the perfect time. We had just finished the meeting about the upcoming Sports Festival when Toshinori stood up to speak, not even bothering to keep the giant grin off of his face.

"Before all of you go, I'd like to make an announcement if I may," Toshinori requested, looking to Nezu who gave him a curious nod of approval.

"Go ahead, All Might," he spoke, giving his approval verbally as well as all the teachers turned to stare at Toshinori curiously, well except for everyone's favorite emo hobo who rolled his eyes in obvious annoyance. Toshinori cleared his throat, whether from nerves or excitement, I wasn't quite sure. Probably both.

"Rose is pregnant," he announced with a huge grin earning shocked expressions from several teachers and words of congratulations to be echoed throughout the room. Nezu stood up with a happy smile just as the bell rang for students to get into class.

"Alright, everyone have a great day of classes. Rose, if you would please stay for a couple of minutes. I need to speak with you," Nezu announced, dismissing everyone except me. Toshi gave my hand a reassuring squeeze before heading out to teach his own classes. I followed Nezu to the couch where he poured me some tea.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Yagi," Nezu started with a comforting smile. I returned the smile, but I'm sure my nerves showed through. Becoming pregnant right after starting a job was not something employers typically appreciated.

"Thank you, Principal Nezu. I'm sorry for any inconvenience it may cause," I replied honestly, getting to the heart of what my nerves were about and giving him an easy way to approach the topic.

"Don't worry about that at all, Rose-chan! I'm quite happy with this development actually! Your position is safe, and I don't consider it to be an inconvenience or a hindrance to your ability to work at all," Nezu comforted putting a paw on my knee with a kind smile before his expression turned more concerned, "Quite the opposite. I just wanted you to know that if there's anything you need or are unable to do throughout this time, just to let me know and we will figure out a solution. Given everything you've gone through, you deserve for this to be a joyous time just as much as All Might does." Tears filled my eyes at his kind and unexpected words, and without thinking, I gave the small rodent in front of me a hug before quickly pulling back with an apology, remembering his distrust of humans and the fact that this rodent is MY BOSS.

"I'm sorry, Principal Nezu… I just… Hormones… Sorry," I apologized, an embarrassed blush now covering my face earning a laugh from the white rodent.

"It's quite alright, Rose-chan. As fearsome as you try to act, I just can't find myself uncomfortable with you. Though please refrain from hugging coworkers without their consent in the future, alright?" he replied with a half serious tone, "Now I believe you need to go prepare to teach your first class right?"

I nodded and excused myself to the teachers' lounge to pick up my lesson plans. I had left them in there along with mine and Toshinori's packed lunches. As I got into the teachers' lounge, I noticed no one else was in there except for Toshinori who immediately ran up to me to ask about my meeting with Nezu. After explaining to him how the conversation went, he pulled me into a loving embrace.

"I still can't believe we're going to have a baby," he admitted, awe and happiness shining through in his voice causing me to let out a small giggle and return his hug.

"Well as much as I would love to stay here like this and talk about our little family, Toshi, I have my first class at U.A. to teach," I informed him with a wink as I pulled away from his arms, grabbed my lesson plans and headed for the door. Right as I reached the door, Toshi caught me by the waist and placed a chaste kiss on my lips.

"Good luck, my dear. I know you'll do great," Toshinori encouraged with a kind smile that I returned, a warm feeling ever present in my stomach at how incredibly pure and sweet the man in front of me was.

"Thanks. I plan to go beyond, plus ultra all that fun stuff," I teased as I headed towards the door earning a slightly panicked reply from him.

"Um… Maybe don't go too beyond or plus ultra until after you have the baby," he panicked causing me to laugh as I walked quickly down the hallway before he could follow me.

Seconds after reaching Class 1-A, I stood outside the door seriously debating imitating Toshi's first entrance to irritate the heck out of Shouta, but I ultimately decided against it. Going instead for an actually normal entrance called walking through the door without announcing yourself. Shouta nodded in acknowledgment in my direction before turning back to the class.

"Alright everyone. I know you have all met her before, but this is Mrs. Yagi. She is a new teacher here and will be the teacher in charge of a new class we are starting here at U.A. called Victim and Civilian Management. Why it took us this long to incorporate it, I have no idea. This information is really important for when you get into the field, so pay close attention to what she has to say. I'm going to take a nap," Shouta announced before crawling into his yellow sleeping bag and immediately falling asleep. Shaking my head at the overworked underground hero, I turned to face the class.

"Alright. You guys already know who I am, though I will say this: I'd rather you all call me Rose-sensei instead of Yagi. I literally have siblings y'all's ages so it's weird for y'all to call me by my last name," I announced, "Also, please note that while this is a new class here, this is not my first year teaching. In fact, some of you have had me in class before. For those of you who haven't, know this: I am not as kind and encouraging as my husband. I expect your best and will accept nothing less than that. Education is something I take extremely seriously, so if you can't do the same, you will not do well in my class. That being said, I am here to help you understand the material, so if you are trying your best, I'm more than willing to work with you. Any questions?" Several hands went in the air. I pointed to a girl with short brown hair that according to the seating chart I was given was named Ochako.

"How long have you and All Might been married?" she asked with a blush. I rolled my eyes but smiled, trying not to show how annoyed I was at the irrelevant question.

"I should have been more specific. Does anyone have any questions about this class and its material? Not about my personal life," I corrected trying to hide my irritation. Only one hand remained up.

"Yes, Izuku?" I called on the greenette with a raised eyebrow, to which he looked very nervous.

"Uh… Yes maam… I was just wondering if this class would be all written work or if we would be doing practical training at some point as well?" he asked nervously. I gave an encouraging smile at his question.

"That is a great question!" I replied with a smile, "I do plan on you guys having some practical training but I will have to coordinate that with some other teachers, so it will come in a little later in the school year. For now, I prepared a diagnostic quiz for you all. Please answer them to the best of your ability. The only grade you will get for this is whether you complete it or not. The answers do not have to be correct. They just have to reflect that you have tried."

My announcement was received a mix of groans and relieved faces from my students. I smiled encouragingly as I handed each of them a test, ignoring Izuku's worried face when I almost tripped over Katsuki's bag that was in the middle of the floor. I activated my quirk briefly using my wings to stop my fall but keeping them small enough to leave the room unscathed. Well except for letting the tip of a certain angry hedgehog's hair catch on fire.

"Dude, Bakugo! Your hair is on fire," Kirishima yelled in concern as the angry blonde quickly patted his hair before turning to yell at me.

"What the hell, hag?!" he snapped which was met with a fierce glare from me that made all of the students freeze in fear.

"Keep your bag under your damned desk like it's supposed to be, and I'll keep my quirk from singeing your hair off and making you balled. I don't have the patience for your bullshit this year, Bakugo Katsuki," I replied bluntly, my tone taking an icy edge as the students around me paled. Katsuki just clicked his tongue in irritation but moved his bag as I finished handing out the diagnostic tests.

Forty minutes later, class was over, and the students each came and handed me their papers as they left the room. The last one to leave was Shoto, surprising me because I figured he had finished his fairly quickly. He handed me his paper, but didn't leave the room.

"Aunt Rose?" he asked with a serious expression, "I would like your help training for the sports festival. I want to train my ice against your flames because they're much hotter than they were before." I gave him a sad smile.

"I would love to, Shoto, but using my quirk to that extent could risk hurting the baby," I responded, regretfully. I wanted to help him, but the doctor had me under strict orders to avoid letting my flames get beyond the weaker white stage. Even that stage was only supposed to be used for small amounts of mobility and other weaker attacks and defense.

"I'm not a baby, Aunt Rose! I'm 15!" Shoto pointed out as though I had lost my mind earning a laugh from me. _God this kid is dense!_

"I'm not talking about you, Shoto!" I explained in between laughs, earning an even more confused expressions from the dual-tone haired boy, "I'm talking about my baby. The one I'm pregnant with." His mouth formed a shocked o as his eyebrows raised in surprise before a small smile crossed his face.

"Okay. Congratulations, Aunt Rose," Shoto said with the rare smile across his face, "Can I tell Fuyumi and Natsuo? They will want us all to have dinner to celebrate I'm sure." I nodded with a smile of my own as we said our goodbyes, and we both left the room and headed to our respective homes.

Song: If You Could See Me Now by The Script


	30. Ch 29: The Sports Festival Begins

-Rose's POV-

It was the day of the annual U.A. Sports Festival, and man did I want to be literally anywhere else. I didn't like crowds. Loud noises and sports events were not my thing. The only thing making it slightly bearable was that everyone avoided Enji-nii who I happened to be hanging out with.

Now, you might be wondering why I wasn't with my husband. Well… Enough people knew that I was married to All Might that if they saw me and Toshinori talking in his normal form, it could potentially raise questions. Questions that we did not to even risk having asked right now. Toshinori was in enough danger as it was, and he probably felt the same was true about me. Also, since I started working at U.A. and with the random bouts of sickness I would get from the pregnancy, I had barely seen Enji-nii much, and as annoying and gruff as he appeared, he was very effective as a people repellent, which was exactly what I needed in this situation.

As we got settled into our seats and the festival began, there was a short speech that was to be given by the top scoring student from the entrance exams. When I saw a certain short-tempered blonde approach the microphone, I sighed to myself. _Well this can only end badly._

"I just wanna say: I'm gonna win." At Bakugo's declaration, I couldn't help but laugh as I heard Enji-nii huff in annoyance beside me.

"That arrogant little brat has no chance of defeating my masterpiece," the flame hero declared confidently, earning a glare and a swift elbow to his rib cage from me, though it seemed like he didn't even feel it.

"Quit being an ass, Nii-san," I scolded, somewhat quietly. In the public eye, I didn't go too hard on scolding him typically because his reputation as afar as his people skills went was not great to begin with. The last thing he needed was to snap at a woman in public where others could see.

As the first event began, I found myself quietly cheering for Izuku, Shoto, and Katsuki. I couldn't just pick one. One was my husband's successor as well as a former student of mine. One was essentially my nephew. One was my former student with outstanding potential, and all three were currently my students. I wanted them all to do well. Enji-nii stayed silent the whole time, and I looked over to where I knew Toshinori would be sitting, he was literally on the edge of his seat as he watched Izuku get through each of the obstacles.

Throughout most of the event, Shoto and Katsuki stayed firmly in the lead, and I noticed Izuku lagging behind, clearly not wanting to use his quirk so he could avoid any broken bones in the first round. That is until the last obstacle: a minefield. I noticed Izuku stopping and seeming to dig and… _Holy shit… This kid may be a fanboy and a bit of socially daft but he's freaking resourceful!_ Right as it seemed like Shoto and Bakugo were going to be the first ones to pass the finish line, Izuku shot himself forward by jumping on the mines using a sheet of metal from one of the robots from the first obstacle, launching himself to what looked to possibly be first place.

It took several minutes and a review of the slow motion playback footage from the finish line to determine that Izuku had in fact won round one, shocking the whole stadium.

"Hell yeah! Go, Izuku! Great job Katsuki! Great job Shoto! Kick ass in the next round!" I cheered happily, glad I had decided to not wear my hero costume today. It made things less conspicuous to see a random civilian cheering for the students; however, it did nothing to reduce the intensity of the glare I received from a certain hot-headed hero.

"You know that green-haired kid?" Enji all but growled in annoyance before shaking his head, "There's no way he measures up to my masterpiece. If Shoto had just used his left side, he would have won that first round in a landslide." I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"I used to teach both him and the so-called brat you referred to at the opening ceremony. They were my students at the junior high I taught at before going to work at U.A," I answered, being a bit catty before deciding to stand up for my students a bit more, "Besides, those two are way more of a threat than you think, Nii-san. Both are insanely determined and intelligent. They both have as much of a chance for the number one spot as Shoto."

That earned an angry hmph from the flame hero. I hated when he acted like this. His obviously one-sided rivalry with Toshinori was obnoxious and turned him into a pretty crappy person 90% of the time. As the second event was announced, I received a message from Toshinori which I checked with a smile.

_Toshi: I heard that cheer from Young Midoriya. You looked quite proud._

_Me: Yeah, well he's going to be the little one's honorary big brother. Of course, I'd be proud of the kid. Also, he's our student._

_Toshi: Why can't you just admit you've taken a liking to the boy?_

_Me: I really wouldn't go that far._

_Toshi: Haha. Alright whatever you say… Mama Might._

_Me: I hate you…_

_Toshi: I love you too._

I groaned to myself. I had a feeling I knew where the nickname came from. I quickly pulled out my phone as the students began forming teams for the second event.

_Me: I'm killing your boyfriend after this damn event._

_EmoHobo: What did he do this time? I may help you hide the body._

_Me: Ask him if he knows anything about Toshinori calling me, Mama Might…_

I almost laughed out loud at Aizawa's response. Mic had been teasing him throughout this whole event, and it was most likely only going to get worse from what I could tell. The blonde just got way into his announcing to lay off sometimes.

_BananaHead: Oh come on. Mama Might is a fantastic nickname for you! You and All Might can be Momma Might and Dad Might! I can help you guys fill out the name change paperwork for your hero licenses if you want._

_Me:…_

_BananaHead: Come on, Mama Might! Doesn't that have a nice ring to it?_

_Me: Do you get a lunch break?_

_BananaHead: yes… Why?_

_Me: Am I able to get into the announcer's box?_

_BananaHead: Um… Maybe not. I just saw yours and Shouta's messages. I'm gonna go now. Later Mama Might!_

I cursed under my breath in Telugu as the next even began with Mic continuing to commentate on the event. I watched the scores in curiosity, and I noticed that there was one team that stayed in the top 4 pretty much unnoticed. When I looked at who was the leader, I saw a purple haired student that I didn't recognize, but he had Ojiro on his team. That was weird.

I let it go and focused on some of the interactions. In the last couple of minutes, I saw Shoto temporarily use his left side before immediately deactivating it, concerning me a bit as I could feel the anger rolling off of Enji-nii in waves at this point.

"Oi, Hothead-nii-san, control your quirk. _**You're gonna overheat me and the baby,**_" I muttered the last part in English so the people around us would be less likely to understand. The glare that he shot me was harsh, but the air around me did start to cool down as he reigned in his quirk earning a muttered "thanks" from me.

At the end of the second round, I was happy to see Katsuki, Izuku, and Shoto all make into the final event of the festival. There was a short intermission now as names were drawn for the 1v1s and so everyone could get lunch. As soon as the round was over, I headed straight out of the stands, desperately wanting to find Toshinori. Being around Enji-nii while he was acting like he was was seriously starting to stress me out and worry me.

Just as I was about to go find him, I felt my stomach lurch and ran to the nearest bathroom I could find, just making it in time before puking my guts out. I cursed under my breath and held my hair back until I was done. Then as I got up I rubbed my stomach soothingly.

"Look, little one, I love you and all, but it would be really great if you could stop giving me the whole morning sickness thing," I mumbled with a slight smile towards my stomach. As much as it was bittersweet for me when I thought about losing my first child, I was happy to be carrying Toshinori's baby. The smile stayed on my face as I washed up and headed out of the bathroom; however, what I heard about exiting wiped the smile right off of my face.

"Shoto will surpass you. I created him to do so." That was Enji-nii. Who was he talking to.

"Endeavor-san, you don't mean..." _Oh shit. That' s Toshinori in his hero form. This cannot be good._

"He is my masterpiece created with the sole purpose of surpassing you, and once he stops being stubborn and uses his left side, he will win this whole festival with ease!" At that statement, I heard the sound of thundering steps as Toshinori walked away in shock, leaving Enji-nii all by himself.

I had seen red at the Enji's words and walked to where I heard the voices coming from, seeing Enji-nii with a smug expression on his face as I walked up to him. I don't know what he was expecting, but it surely wasn't what happened. _SLAPPPP!_ Yup. I just slapped the number 2 hero. Bite me.

"What the fuck was that, Endeavor?! You think that talking all that shit is going to make it happen? Have you ever thought that maybe this dickwad behavior of yours is what pushed him to not want to use his left side in the first place?! He's not rejecting his fire for no reason. In his mind, he's not rejecting his quirk. He's rejecting YOU! This whole thing is your fault!" I snapped, yelling angrily. _How dare he treat Shoto like an object!_

I felt the temperature of the area we were in increase dramatically, and almost on instinct it seemed, Enji raised his hand in a fist, his eyes narrowed at me; however, before he could let loose a punch, there was a gust of wind before I was in the arms of my husband, now in his hero form, his booming voice echoing throughout the area.

"Don't you even think about laying a finger on her, Endeavor," Toshinori all but growled, his signature smile nowhere to be found as he pulled me securely into his arms, cradling me against his strong frame as though I were a child, and carried me back towards the faculty stands. I opened my mouth to protest against him carrying me, but as I lifted my hand up to place it on his chest, I realized, I was shaking in fear.

Song: Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons


	31. Ch 30: The Final Event

-Rose's POV-

As we got close to the faculty stands, Toshinori took me aside and dropped his hero form in a puff of steam. His blue eyes were full of anger and concern as he pulled me into a tight, protective hug.

"Are you alright, Rose? He didn't hurt you, did he?" he questioned in concern as he pulled back from the hug to inspect me for any potential injuries. I shook my head in response as I felt myself begin to tear up.

"It pisses me off when he gets like this. This stupid rivalry he has with you is so STUPID! And it's hurting his kids… It's not right..." I vented, my voice shaking as the tears began to fall from my eyes.

Toshinori's large hands quickly wiped them away as he cupped my face in his hands and pulled me into a sweet and loving kiss, causing me to relax into his touch. After a couple of seconds, I had completely melted into the kiss and leaned into him. He pulled away and pressed his forehead to mine, his hand still cupping my cheek and the other wrapped around my waist.

"The most we can do is be there for the kids and be supportive of them. Don't let yourself stress so much, my dear," he soothed as he released me from his arms and took my hand in in his, rubbing soothing circles on the back of my hand, "Now, let's go get something to eat and then we can go watch the rest of the festival. I heard they have a really good karaage stand here this year." I smiled at him and nodded before standing on my tip toes and pulling on his arm to get him to lean down so I could place a kiss on his bony cheek.

"Thanks, Toshi," I said with a smile.

As the third event began, I was intrigued as the first battle between Izuku and the purple haired kid who apparently was a general studies student named Shinsou Hitoshi began. It was revealed that Shinsou's quirk was brainwashing, and I found myself totally shocked that he was stuck in general studies with such a useful quirk.

I could think of so many situations where his quirk would be useful for a hero. My mind immediately went to the time I was held as a hostage not long after reaching Musutafu, and I knew there were other situations like mine that didn't have such a happy ending to it. I was shocked and impressed when Izuku managed to break out of the kid's hold, but that wasn't what my focus was on.

"I need to talk to that Shinsou kid, Toshi. He shouldn't be in general studies," I told him softly as I got up to go but was stopped by him grabbing my hand with a concerned expression on his face.

"Do you want me to come with you?" he volunteered, clearly worried about me being alone after what had happened earlier with Endeavor. I shook my head and gave him a reassuring smile.

"I'll be fine. I'm just going to go talk to him and come right back," I assured him before turning and walking off before he could argue. I made it to the entrance to the arena just in time to catch the purple haired teen.

"Hey! Shinsou Hitoshi!" I called his name out, getting his attention and motioning for him to come over to me. When Izuku saw me, he bowed quickly with a greeting.

"H-hello, Mrs. Yagi!" he greeted nervously, probably thinking I was there to scold him. I patted his shoulder.

"Great job out there, Izuku. All Might was pretty proud of ya," I told him with a smile making the kid beam, "Now get out of here. I'm here to talk to the kid whose been misplaced." Izuku had a confused expression but ran off, knowing it was better not to argue with me. Shinsou raised an eyebrow at our conversation.

"You know All Might?" he asked skeptically. Now that I saw him up close, he looked a lot like Shouta and seemed to act like him.

"Yes, I-" and my mind went blank. _Goddammit, this brat used his quirk on me! This cheeky little shit!_

"Now leave me alone. I'm not in the mood to deal with any shit right now," he ordered, and I felt my feet begin to move. Feeling my anger spite, my quirk activated on reflex and my staff appeared in my hand, burning it and snapping me out of his control as I hissed in pain and deactivated my own quirk, shocking the teen in front of me.

"Now, listen here you little shit. I came here to talk to you about helping you get into the hero course, but if you use your quirk on me again, I will seriously reconsider my offer," I hissed shaking my hand in pain. This got his attention, but he looked skeptical.

"How could you help me get into the hero course? Who even are you?" he asked, hopeful but skeptical. I smiled at him through the pain in my hand.

"My name is Yagi Rose, but my hero name is Lady Icarys," I introduced with a smile as I let my wings sprout from my back on their lowest heat so it wouldn't harm the baby, "I am a pro hero as well as a new teacher at U.A." His eyes widened at this.

"You're Lady Icarys? The one that works with Endeavor despite being a pro hero for less than a two years, and you took in interest in the one who lost?" Shinsou asked in confusion. I nodded.

"I don't give a shit who won or lost that fight. Your quirk is priceless as a hero. It would have saved me from getting shot, and I'm sure many others from getting hurt too. And I know someone that I'm sure would train you and would be the perfect mentor for you," I answered with a smile. I had heard a certain mummy's comments on the loudspeaker during the fight, and I knew full well that he would be up for this.

"Who is it?"

"Eraserhead," I responded smiling at the awestruck response I got from him, "I take it you're a fan?" He nodded sheepishly.

"Well, he's a good friend of mine, and I can tell you he's already taken an interest in you and your quirk as well. I'm sure he'll be in touch," I encouraged with a wave before turning to leave, "Don't you dare walk around without your head held high. You just showed all of Japan that your position doesn't determine your chances of being a pro hero. You'll be one for sure. Just send some merch or something my way when you do. So I can tell you I told you so." He chuckled at that.

"Thanks, Rose-sensei. I appreciate it," he called it earning a nod from me in response as I deactivated my quirk and walked back to my space beside Toshinori.

"How did it go?" the blonde hero asked curiously. I laughed a bit.

"That purple-haired little shit used his quirk on me," I responded earning a dark look from Toshi.

"He did what…?"

"It's fine, Toshi. I got out of it. Though I will need to go see Recovery Girl a little later. I had to use my staff to burn my hand to snap out of it. That is one strong quirk he has," I admitted with a nervous laugh, hoping he wouldn't go super overprotective about it. To my relief, he sighed in defeat and let it go after telling me I should go sooner rather than later to see Recovery Girl.

The next couple of battles were interesting, and I enjoyed watching the matches, though Shoto's display against Sero had me quite concerned. Katsuki and Ochako's fight was a great one to watch, and I was thankful for Shouta telling off the moron in the stands who was shit talking the blonde who for once, was not actually in the wrong.

Finally, it was time for the second round of fights with a match between Izuku and Shoto. I was very concerned about this fight. Shoto looked severely pissed off and Izuku had a tendency to push himself too far and get himself hurt. It was a recipe for disaster, but I found myself cheering more for Shoto. I wanted the kid to accomplish something on his own and be proud of it, not be pushed into it by his father. The battle lasted longer than I thought until hearing Izuku shout something that everyone could hear.

"It's your quirk, not his!" And with that statement, I saw Shoto's left side ignite, and everything seemed to move in slow motion. Shoto unleashed his fire at full strength causing an explosion when it met the cold air. To my surprise, I was blocked from the blast by a familiar large flaming hero. After the blast subsided, Enji-nii turned to me with his normal scowl softened a bit.

"Are you alright, Rose?" he asked, his gruff voice a bit softer than usual so much so that the concern in it was just barely audible. I nodded as tears I hadn't noticed before fell down my cheeks.

"Thanks, Endeavor-san," I mumbled as I felt my stomach lurch. I activated my quirk, using my wings to fly all the way to Recovery Girl's office and to the restroom in it where I quickly deactivated my quirk and proceeded to lose my lunch. A couple of minutes later, I came back into the office to see a very injured Izuku, a worried Toshinori, and a stern Recovery Girl. Toshi was immediately at my side.

"Rose, are you alright?" he questioned with concern. I nodded with a shaky smile.

"Come lay down, child. The amount of stress I can see in your face is not good for you or your little one," Recovery Girl instructed, and I nodded and did as she said, "Unfortunately, since you're with child, I don't want to use my quirk to heal your burn. The stamina it takes from you would not be worth the decreased recovery time." I nodded in understanding, and she placed some burn ointment on it earning a wince from me as she wrapped it up.

A couple of minutes later, after chewing out Izuku and tearing Toshinori a new one, the rest of Class 1-A came to get Izuku so he could watch the rest of the matches. A minute later, I was surprised to see Shoto come into the office. I sat up in greeting and immediately regretted it as I felt nauseous. Fortunately, I didn't need to throw up this time. Shoto came up and put his right hand on my forehead, essentially turning it into an ice pack and earning a sigh of relief from me.

"That was a great fight out there, Shoto," I told him with a warm smile as he removed his hand and sat next to me.

"Thanks, Aunt Rose… Did my father ever tell you what happened to my mother?" he asked sadly. I shook my head no.

"He was so abusive to her that she grew to hate him. One day, I was in the kitchen with her, and she saw my left side and got so angry that she threw boiling water on my face," Shoto started the story without warning, and I resisted the urge to reach out and hug the dual colored teen in beside me, "I got this scar. My father found out and instead of taking responsibility for the damage he had done, he had my mother institutionalized." At that statement, I did wrap an arm around the kid, giving him an awkward one-armed hug. He looked at me in shock and gave me an awkward pat on the head and a smile.

"So that's why you hate him so much," I stated the obvious before deciding to make the conversation a little light, "I thought it was just because he was a dick and had a shit personality." Shoto looked thoughtful for a second. _Geez kid it was a joke._ He shook his head.

"Anyways, I didn't come here just to talk about him. I wanted to ask for your help on something Aunt Rose," Shoto stated. _I guess the light-hearted conversation is a no._ I nodded indicating that I was listening.

"I want to go see my mother in the hospital. I haven't seen her since that incident, and I don't really want to go by myself. Will you come with me? You don't have to come in and meet her or anything if you don't want to, but I… I don't really have anyone else I feel like I can ask," he requested in a rare moment of vulnerability for the teen that usually kept everything to himself. I couldn't help but smile and tear up. I pulled him into a full tight hug, before pulling back with my hands on his shoulders.

"Of course, I will, Shoto! Anytime you need something like this, don't hesitate to ask okay?" I replied with a smile that could nearly rival my radiant husband's, "Now, go get ready for your next match and do your best alright! I'm rooting for ya." To my surprise, he gave me a hug as well before walking off and nodding a thanks, leaving me to lay back down, and before I knew it, exhaustion overtook me, pulling me into a deep sleep.

Song: Must Have Been the Wind by Alec Benjamin


	32. Ch 31: The Winners Banquet

-Rose's POV-

I woke up to the feeling of being lifted into someone's arms. My eyelids fluttered open to reveal Toshinori in his hero form gently lifting me and holding me to his chest. I let out a small yawn and tried to rub the sleep out of my eyes.

"What did I miss?" I asked with another yawn, earning a chuckle from my blonde hero.

"Young Bakugo defeated Young Todoroki in the finals. The poor boy refused to use his right side again," Toshinori explained and I frowned at this, but noticed that Toshi had that look on his face as though he wanted to say more.

"What else happened, Toshi?" I questioned in concern. Toshi gave a nervous laugh at my concerned expression.

"Well Young Bakugo did not take the win well, and he had to be chained to the podium during the awards ceremony." As soon as he finished the statement, I busted out laughing.

"Why am I not surprised!" I exclaimed between laughing fits as Toshi pulled me closer so he wouldn't drop me causing me to blush and calm down, "Um… I can walk, Toshi." He gave me one of his famous smiles that always seemed larger than life.

"I know you can, my dear, but it's not often my fiercely independent wife allows me to carry her anywhere," he pointed out, clearly enjoying this. I just shook my head and tried to hide my blushing cheeks.

"Plus, I figured you'd have to be on your feet enough tonight at the winners' banquet," Toshinori added quickly, causing my head to shoot in his direction with an exasperated expression.

"The what?" I asked, irritation and exasperation showing through my voice and face, causing Toshinori to once again let out a nervous chuckle, "Do I have to go?" He nodded with an apologetic smile.

"It's mandatory for all teachers to attend, and besides, I think you'll enjoy yourself if you go," he soothed as he pulled me closer and put a tender kiss on my head before shifting back into his regular form and placing me gently down beside his car which was parked in the private parking lot for teachers.

"I highly doubt it, but I guess I can always go be miserable with the angry hobo," I muttered, earning an actual chuckle from my radiant husband.

"I'll be there the entire time, my dear," he soothed before bringing my hand to his lips, placing a gentle kiss there that made me blush.

"I'll give it a shot, I guess," I muttered while looking away from him trying to hide my blush.

* * *

As we entered the winners' banquet, I found myself nervously tugging at the dark blue, knee-length, cocktail dress that flowed out just under the bust, successfully hiding my ever growing baby bump, which was beginning to get a bit noticeable in more form fitting clothes. There were not as many people as the hero's banquets I had had to attend in the past, but the fact that I was now officially a teacher at this establishment meant that I had more pressure to be social than usual.

Toshinori, once again in his hero form, this time sporting a mustard yellow pinstriped suit with a dark blue tie that matched my dress, grasped my nervously shaking hand in his and gave me a soft and comforting smile, much different than the smile he uses while dealing with the press. We approached the table with the assigned seating, and I was confused as to why my name did not show up at the teachers' tables. Instead, my name was at a table with…

"**_Shit_**," I muttered in English so less people would understand me, "Why the hell did they assign me away from you and with that hotheaded asshole?" Toshinori had a concerned frown on his face, clearly not any happier than I was considering the situation that had happened with Enji earlier today, even if he had protected me after the fact.

"I'm going to talk to Principal Nezu and see if we can get either you or I moved. Go ahead and go sit there for now. It will be a good chance for you to congratulate Young Todoroki and Young Bakugo," Toshinori suggested gently as he placed his large hand on the small of my back and guided me in the direction of the table I was assigned.

I facepalmed. _Enji and Katsuki? At the same table, at the same time? What deity did I manage to piss off this time?_ With that less than positive mindset, I broke off from Toshinori to go to the table from hell, while he went to go find the furball. Yup. He's demoted back to fur ball for allowing this bullshit.

As I reached the table, I saw Katsuki with a literal woman version of himself glaring at each other and periodically cursing, while a brown haired man with glasses seemed unphased as he smiled at the others at the table. I also saw Fuyumi, who looked nice in her long red dress that flowed at the waist, and Shoto, who seemed to be lost in thought in his black suit with a red tie. Finally, there was Enji, who looked almost apologetic as I approached with a small nervous smile on my face, while carefully avoiding eye contact with the giant hero, his flaming beard still present for some reason. As I took my seat next to Shoto, it looked like the others at the table finally took notice of me.

"Good evening, Aunt Rose!" Fuyumi greeted with a smile. I returned her sweet smile before taking my seat next to a very out of it Shoto.

"Heya, Fuyumi!" I returned her greeting with a wave before turning to Katsuki and smirking, "And congrats on first place! I heard you were quite the spectacle at the awards ceremony." I saw sparks fly off of the angry hedgehog's hands that is until, I'm assuming his mother, punched him in the head earning a laugh from me.

"Sorry about my rude idiot of a son. I'm Bakugo Mitsuki. Nice to meet you," she greeted with a smile. I smiled in return.

"It's no problem. My name is Yagi Rose. I am one of Katsuki's teachers. I was also one of his teachers at Aldera Junior High as well," I introduced myself with a smile.

"Oi, hag! Shouldn't you be sitting with your husband and other teachers or some shit?" the rude blonde asked with a glare. I put my hand up to stop Mitsuki from punching him again.

"It's fine, Bakugo-san. I'm used to this little shit's attitude," I assured with a smirk as I saw said little shit begin to spark again, "You mention my husband, Katsuki, but did you forget that you're sitting at the same table as my older brother, niece, and nephew, who was also a finalist at the sports festival?"

All eyes went to Enji who looked shocked for a brief moment at me referring to him as my older brother despite our earlier fight. What can I say? I had siblings back before my world went to hell. Fights happen. I was still pissed at him, but I wasn't going to give up a sibling for some stupid fight. Enji's eyes then narrowed menacingly at Katsuki who just gave him a scowl.

"Oh, Rose-san, it's okay if I call you Rose-san right?" Mitsuki asked without waiting for my answer, "Oh and just call me Mitsuki. No need for formalities." I grinned. I knew I liked her.

"Works for me! Though I'd prefer you drop the honorifics for me as well. I'm American, and sometimes honorifics can be a bit tedious for me," I admit with a slightly embarrassed smile, before turning to Katsuki, "Also, do you really want my super protective husband over here so you can piss of both of the top 2 pro heroes?" At that, Mitsuki's jaw dropped in realization, and even her husband looked shocked.

"Are you saying your husband is All Might?" she asked for confirmation to which I nodded with a smile and a blush as I thought about my radiant husband. We talked for a bit about different interests, and I had learned that Mitsuki was a social worker, and Masaru, her husband, was an accountant for a well-known company. As our conversations continued, she and I exchanged numbers, much to a certain angry blonde's displeasure, as the Todorokis continued to sit and eat in an awkward silence.

"Hey, Lady Might! Congratulations on the baby!" a loud voice exclaimed from behind me as a slightly tanned hand landed on my shoulder. My stomach dropped as I saw the looks of shock on the faces of the Bakugos and the protective scowls coming from the two male Todorokis. I turned to see the one and only PresentMic who apparently had just realized that he messed up. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Enji stand up, slamming his hands on the table in anger, successfully startling more.

"The fuck?!" Katsuki yelled in shock as Mitsuki congratulated me while simultaneously punching her son in the head and scolding him for his language. To my surprise, Katsuki actually mutters out an apology. Meanwhile, I noticed Shouta coming and pulling Mic away before he can be cremated by a certain flaming hero. I felt myself starting to panic a bit until a large, warm hand was placed gently on my shoulder. Toshinori, still in his hero form, leaned to beside my face with a concerned smile on his face.

"Is everything alright, Rose?" he questioned softly, and I placed my hand over his and took a deep breath and nodded, feeling much more calm with him nearby. He turned to the Bakugo's and gave a respectful shallow bow.

"Ah! You must be Young Bakugo's parents! It's a pleasure to meet you!" Toshinori said with a big smile.

"No need to be so formal, All Might! I've already become good friends with your wife there! You caught yourself a good one there! Treat her well, or else I will throw hands! I don't give a shit if you're the number one hero or not!" Mitsuki warned, and I smiled as Toshinori looked shocked before letting out a booming laugh.

"Well, I appreciate your loyalty to your friends so early on! And don't worry, if I ever hurt her, I already told Endeavor here that he could cremate me," Toshinori admitted while awkwardly scratching the back of his head as Enji-nii's glare intensified when Toshi mentioned him and finally snapped.

"Where the hell were you, All Might?! Are you stupid leaving Rose alone at an event like this in her condition!?" Enji seethed, not yelling too loud to avoid bringing anymore attention to the situation. His tone pissed me off.

"Excuse me, oh super protective brother of mine, but I'm more than capable of protecting myself!" I snapped, tears starting to fill up my eyes as I felt the temperature increase around me.

"Endeavor, you have no right to criticize my ability to protect her or my ability to care for my wife," Toshinori responded so quietly that only Enji-nii heard him, and I felt the temperature rise to an uncomfortable level, causing tears to run down my face in anger and fear that these two would actually start a fight.

"If you two weren't so busy with this damn pissing contest, you'd notice that both of you morons are upsetting the hag!" Katsuki snapped, slamming his hands on the table as well. At his outburst, the two heroes' heads turned towards me in concern as I got up, my hands shaking as I clenched them into fists, trying not to fully break down at the moment. A cold hand grabbed my wrist and began pulling me away from the chaos at the table. As soon as we made it to a seemingly empty, I broke down completely, my body wracked by frustrated sobs.

"Aunt Rose, I'm sorry about my idiot father. You don't have to deal with him just to stay close to me, Fuyumi, and Natsuo. We would still visit you, you know?" Shoto apologized in his usual monotone voice and I ruffled his hair with a humorless laugh.

"Thanks, Sho, but that's not why I put up with your father's bullshit. Believe it or not, he had good intentions back there, plus, I think he needs someone to help pull his head out of his ass," I comforted with a small laugh at my own joke.

He just looked at me in concern as tears continued to flow from my eyes. After a minute or two of trying to calm me down, we were joined by a loud clearing of a throat from the entryway. I quickly wiped my tears, probably smearing the hell out of my already running mascara, before turning to see Katsuki and Toshinori. My husband walked up to me slowly, guilt evident behind his ever present All Might smile as he finally reached me, holding his arms out. Without a second thought, I rushed into his arms and wrapped my own around his muscular waist as his large arms held me close to him. A clearing of a throat broke us out of our moment as I turned to see Katsuki with a rare slightly softer expression on his usually glaring or scowling face.

"Look, I know I'm not the most respectful brat to you, but I'm not a total asshole. Your secret is safe with me and my parents. And I'll make sure none of the other fucking extras bother you or some shit," he looked really uncomfortable before finally yelling, "So I guess I'll be better behaved for ya, hag. Sounds like you've got enough on your plate considering all the shit you've already had to deal with!" I smiled at him as I let out a small sniffle.

"Thanks, Katsuki. I appreciate it," I admitted as he gave a little nod before turning and leaving to go back to the banquet. Shoto also took his leave, understanding that Toshinori and I probably needed some privacy after that whole ordeal. As soon as they were gone, Toshi deflated into his regular form with a puff of smoke and pulled me tightly into his chest.

"I'm so sorry, Rose," Toshi murmured as he pressed a loving kiss on the top of my head, "I didn't mean to stress you out or make you cry like this. Please forgive me." I sniffled a bit as more tears filled my eyes causing Toshi to panic a bit. _Damn hormones!_ Not being able to get the words out, I simply grabbed his tie and pulled him down to where I could stand on my tiptoes and place my lips needily on his. After briefly returning my kiss, we separated, and Toshi placed a warm kiss on my forehead.

"It's fine, Toshi," I finally responded, my voice a bit hoarse from all the crying, "A lot of the crying is just hormones, but I do wish you and Enji-nii would ease up on the fighting a bit. I know he pulled a bullshit move today but it really stresses me out when I don't feel like I can be around both of you without a damn near showdown." Toshi frowned at this and cupped my cheek with his hand which I immediately leaned into.

"I understand, but I cannot forgive him for raising a hand to you like that. What if I hadn't been there? He could have seriously hurt both you and our child!" Toshi explained with a serious expression. At that, I turned my face into his hand and placed a light kiss on his palm before replying.

"I know. I get that. I really do," I admitted before sighing, "How about we just deal with this all another day? I really want to go home, Toshi. I'm exhausted." I looked up at him, exhaustion evident in my voice, and my face more than likely looking incredibly pitiful with all the smeared and running makeup. He gave me a soft, sincere smile. Not an All Might smile, a Toshi smile. Those smiles were the ones that made my knees weak.

"When you look at me with those big emerald eyes, how could I even think about saying no?" he responded with a chuckle before pulling me into a sweet kiss before taking my hand as we snuck away from the banquet and back to our home for some much needed rest.

* * *

**A/N:**

**I now have a Discord server! Please check it out! I will be using it to run polls for when I will update certain stories, which stories to work on next, as well as it just being a place where people can talk about different stuff like anime, fanfiction, writing advice, and so on. That's also where I will post when I update a new story. There is also a fanart channel if any of my lovely readers want to submit fanart! It's new so the numbers aren't high yet, but I encourage anyone who is interested to please check it out! :) A clickable link is on my profile description on WattPad. :) And I'm trying to find a way to link it on here, but this website seems to be fighting me on it.**

**Again, thank you for all the support on this story. Love Always, Taeha**


	33. Ch 32: Mood Swings Are A Thing

-Toshinori's POV-

I woke up to the unfortunately familiar sound of my sweet wife getting sick in our attached bathroom. Without hesitation, I got up and ran to the bathroom which wasn't locked for once. _She must have woken up really nauseous this time._ As I came in, I saw her hunched over the toilet, her long strawberry hair threatening to fall into the toilet. Not wanting her to have to deal with that on top of being so nauseous, I gently pulled her hair pack and held it for her and began rubbing soft soothing circles on her back as she continued to wretch.

"**_Go awayyyyyyyy, Toshi!_**" she groaned, not even bothering with Japanese at the moment with how terrible she felt. When I didn't immediately do as she asked, she roughly pushed herself up from the toilet and glared at me.

"**_I said go away, Toshinori! You know I hate being around people when I'm sick, dammit!_**" she all but spat, taking me a bit aback. I knew she hated when people saw her being sick. Growing up with so many siblings, she had learned to be independent from a young age and overly valued her independence above everything else. It was one of the things I admired about her, but this almost of anger for something like this was highly unusual for Rose.

Deciding to just give her some space, I headed to the kitchen to fix a both a light breakfast that would be easy on our stomachs. Oddly enough, between my injury and her pregnancy, we eat a lot of the same things now: nothing too spicy, small amounts several times a day, followed by several large vitamins and pills for me and anxiety medication and prenatal vitamins for Rose. Since she had already thrown up this morning, I went with two pieces of toast for us each with a bit of butter spread over them.

As I was finishing preparing our rather meager breakfasts, a pair of pale slender arms wrapped around me. I smiled until I heard sniffling. Panicked a bit, I turned to face Rose, seeing her flushed face covered in tears and more continuously flowing from her eyes. Feeling more worried by the minute, I gently wiped her face and pulled her close in an affectionate embrace.

"Rose, my dear, what's wrong? Why are you so upset?" I questioned gently as I began gently running my fingers through her ginger hair. One benefit of being together for a couple of years now was that I knew the best ways to calm her down usually, and if there was one thing that usually did the trick, it was stroking her hair. Like I expected, her sniffles became less until she took a couple of deep breaths and relaxed, stopping the sniffling completely.

"I-I'm so sorry, Toshi… I didn't mean to snap at you like that… I just hate feeling like I'm a burden to anyone ya know? I've always dealt with being sick on my own…" Rose apologized, her emerald eyes showing nothing but sincerity and regret at her actions. I chuckled a bit and kissed her forehead gently.

"You're fine, my dear. I know you don't like when I come in while you're getting sick. I just wanted to check on you and noticed your hair about to fall in so I grabbed it. I'll try and give you more space next time," I replied with a reassuring smile to the beautiful woman in my arms. Her disheveled curly ginger hair, pale skin, and large emerald eyes were all captivating to me. Even when her face was flushed from being sick and crying, she was still the most stunning woman I had ever met. And when she flashed me a large smile like she was doing now, I would realize: _Yup. I'm a goner. This woman could literally ask for anything, and I would fight All For One a million times to make it happen_.

"Thank you, Toshi," she murmured as she stood on her tip toes, her lips puckering slightly making it clear what she wanted. And let me just say, I was not a man to deny her of any type of affection. I leaned down to meet her halfway and pressed my lips softly against hers. This woman had me completely wrapped around her finger, and I was perfectly fine with that.

After a couple of blissful moments of kisses and holding one another, I guess Rose caught sight of the toast and immediately pulled away from me before excitedly eating the toast. I let out a chuckle because she looked like such a child with her excitement, and it was adorable. Apparently, she misunderstood my laughter because she immediately glared at me.

"Don't laugh at how I eat, Toshinori!" she snapped, causing me to be very confused. She had been acting odd all morning. Her emotions had been all over the place, and I couldn't figure out why.

"Are you going to laugh at our baby for being happy about things too?" she demanded, and I resisted the urge to face palm in real life. _Pregnancy… Mood Swings… Right…._ With that thought I began to panic a bit. I had no idea how to help her through this, and I was afraid if I pointed out that it was due to pregnancy, I might end up injured as well.

I had made the mistake once early on in marriage for saying I understood that she was just upset because of her hormones from her menstrual cycle and had just very narrowly avoided some third degree burns on my face. She had later calmed down and admitted that while I was right, it was never a good idea to tell a woman that her thoughts or feelings were being influenced by hormones. I shivered slightly at the thought of the murderous aura that had surrounded my usually snappy but harmless wife at the time and had absolutely no desire for a repeat of that situation, especially not when using her quirk at high temperature at the moment could seriously injure both her and our unborn child.

I thought for a minute as Rose stewed while now angrily eating her toast, the sight still adorable by the way. Then I remembered her equally hot-tempered new friend who also had a child. It was worth a shot.

"Rose, my dear, what would you think about having a girls day with Mitsuki today?" I suggested, "Maybe you'll be able to talk to her about stuff that I don't quite understand, and it could make you feel a bit better." I held my breath waiting for to either smile at the idea or have to dodge a flame, but to my surprise, Rose's emerald eyes filled with tears instead.

"I'm sorry, Toshi! I didn't mean to annoy you so much… I know it's hard to deal with me when I get like this, and I know I'm being annoying. I'm so sorry," Rose began ranting as tears fell from her eyes, which was an obvious weakness for me. God, I hated it when she cried. I immediately went over to the table with her and sat down, pulling her into my lap and holding her close.

"Shh… Listen, Rose. I don't think you're annoying. You're not too much to handle or anything like that," I soothed, placing several gentle kisses on her head and cheeks, "I just thought Mitsuki-san might be able to help more in this situation than I can, but if you need me here, then have no fear because I am here." She giggled at my use of my famous catchphrase. _God, I love this woman_. She cuddled into me and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Can we maybe do that tomorrow? I just want to cuddle, eat ice cream, and watch movies all day," she responded with a yawn and a sleepy smile. I nodded and gave her a loving smile of my own.

"Of course, my dear," I agreed with a kiss on her forehead before standing up and placing her feet on the ground, "How about you get us a pillow and some blankets, and I will go grab the ice cream. Matcha flavored or vanilla?" She nodded and told me to grab the matcha one. I grabbed the small pint of ice cream and two spoons, and when I made it back to the living room, I saw Rose wrapped up in our large fleece blanket with the design from my golden age hero costume on it causing me to smile as she turned to me with a smile and patted the seat next to her.

As we laid down together and the movie began, I gently placed my hand on her stomach and smiled when I laid my hand on her stomach, I smiled at the just now showing ever so slightly baby bump and felt my heart fill so full that I thought it would burst. Even with all my years of being the number one hero and the Symbol of Peace, I knew that I had never felt more happy or content than I did at this exact moment.

-

Song: No Place by the Backstreet Boys

**A/N:**

**All the fluff in this chapter. :) Writing Rose's mood swings was honestly a bit of a blast. I hope you all enjoyed this cutesy chapter. :)**


	34. ANNOUNCEMENT

For those of you who follow the story but not me personally, I have decided to end this book here. I really like where it was for an ending, and the plot from here on out is going to get hella intense and I didn't feel like it would fit the tone of this book quite right.

That being said, I decided it would fit better to make it as a separate book, in another words, there will be a sequel to this book entitled _**Your Story Has Only Begun **_which I am unsure when I will start posting for it.

I'm currently on a major Haikyuu kick where I'm experimenting with not following manga plotlines much at all. If any of you would be interested, please check out my Kuroo story entitled _Secrets in the Storm_. I'm really enjoying writing it.

So yeah. Thank you all soooo much for all the support on this story, and I will be sure to announce when the sequel is up! :D

Love always,

Taeha 3


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